I stepped into the room, my stomach twisting with unease. The air inside was heavy, suffocating, as if the walls themselves were closing in on me. Alaric sat behind his desk, his gaze dark and unreadable, hands clasped together on the surface in front of him. He didn’t stand or offer any greeting. He just stared, the weight of his eyes pressing down on me like lead.
I could feel it in the air—the anger, the frustration, and something else lurking beneath it all. Something I didn’t want to name.
“Sit,” he commanded, and my body obeyed before I could think twice. I perched on the edge of the chair opposite him, my back straight, my hands clenched tightly in my lap. My pulse roared in my ears, but I forced myself to meet his gaze.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The silence stretch
