*Charles POV*
The air was thick with tension as we gathered in Gabriel’s office. The room, usually a place of strategy and alliance, now felt like a battleground where the air bristled with charged emotions.
My jaw clenched and unclenched, fingers drumming against my thigh in a restless dance as irritation gnawed at me, eager to leap out. Staying calm was a battle to keep my vampire instincts from shattering my polite facade.
Gabriel was sitting at his desk, Lila on his knees as usual. Matthew and Isabella huddled close, their hands gripped tightly, their knuckles whitened, attesting of the fear that seemed to swell around them, larger than life. Eliza and Thomas, Amara, and my father all presented a united front of support. Solstace and Crimson, usually so vibrant, now appeared muted,
