Caelum told Wren he would vote against the alliance in the same room where he had once tried to explain why silence was restraint.
This time he did not wait for her to ask.
"I am voting no."
Wren looked up from the representation draft.
"One vote is not enough."
"I know."
The answer came immediately.
No defense.
No claim that his vote should count more because he was Alpha.
Wren set down the pen.
"Why?"
"Because the alliance is wrong."
"Politically?"
"Yes."
"For Seraphine?"
"Yes."
"For you?"
His gaze held hers.
"Yes."
"For me?"
The pause was shorter than it once would have been.
"Yes."
Wren leaned back.
The bond moved beneath her ribs, not as relief but as awareness.
"Voting against Seraphine is not the same as choosing me."
"I know."
"It does not restore the choi
