Jake's POV
I stood at the head of the council chamber, hands folded behind my back, expression calm. Controlled.
Mourning black. No insignia.
Just clean lines, a straight spine, and a face I’d practiced a hundred times in the mirror. The look of a man who’d been wronged and chose dignity over vengeance.
The elders stared at me like they weren’t sure what they were seeing.
Good.
Let them hesitate. Let them wonder if I’d cracked or transcended.
Either way, they were listening.
“I didn’t want to bring this here,” I said evenly. “But the rumors are spreading. And I’d rather speak the truth than let gossip rot the foundation we’ve built.”
A pause.
Silence.
Then I lowered my voice. Just enough to feel intimate.
“She left in the middle of the night. No warning. No note. She didn’t ev
