R A I D E N
Nyx didn’t answer immediately.
She lifted her gaze from me and let it drift slowly around the table.
I watched her from the corner of my eye as she took them in one by one, the Elders with their polished authority and buried guilt, the Seer with her knowing silence.
Her expression gave nothing away.
No fear.
No gratitude.
Just a cool, assessing calm that made my instincts tighten.
For the first time since I’d spoken the words aloud, doubt crept in.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have given her the choice.
The thought was sharp, unwelcome but honest.
A forced claiming would have been simpler. Cleaner. Faster. No hesitation. No risk of defiance in front of the council. No uncertainty hanging over the pack like a live wire.
But simplicity came at a cost.
I knew these Elders. I k
