Zayne POV
The second the transport doors clicked shut, the silence in the Council chamber was suffocating. It wasn't empty. It was filled with the roaring void where Alexandra's presence used to be. The bond, once a warm, steady hum in my chest, was now a gaping wound, an agonizing distance that grew with every passing second. It was like having a limb torn off without anesthetic.
Blake had his back to me, his shoulders rigid, the scent of his fury a bitter acid in the air. Silas stood by the window, his reflection showing the face of a man who had just watched his world crumble.
And Halloway... Halloway was straightening his tie, a look of profound satisfaction on his pinched face.
"Phase one complete," he said, as if discussing a business transaction.
I saw red.
I moved. Not as a m
