Natalie POV
The heavy mahogany doors of the grand audience chamber closed with a resonant, booming thud that echoed off the vaulted obsidian pillars, sealing out the frantic murmurs of the assembling court. The heat of the room was intense, thick with the scent of burning cedar and the sharp, ozone tang of raw Alpha tension.
Outside, the mountain storm had finally broken, throwing thick sheets of blinding white snow against the high stained-glass windows, but inside, the atmosphere was far more volatile than the blizzards of the north.
I stood beside the massive walnut throne, my hand resting flat against the polished armrest to steady my balance. The long ride from the southern basin had taken its toll; my thigh muscles were stiff, and a dull, pulsing ache radiated from my lower back,
