Estelle's POV
The air thickened.
Jealousy, gossip, excitement, and malice tangled together like a prickly perfume, burrowing deep into my nostrils.
My steps faltered for a fraction of a second, my face betraying nothing.
I pushed open the door, poured a glass of water, my fingers steady as if nothing had happened. Then I turned and walked away, closing the door behind me, my pace measured, unhurried, as though I had heard nothing at all.
But the wolf inside me was fully awake.
Back in my office, glass empty in hand, I sank into my chair and drew a long, steady breath. Dust, paper, and ink layered in the air, analyzed by my senses with surgical precision. The resignation letter in my palm felt cold, its edges like a blade pressing into my skin—lifeless, unyielding.
Still, it wasn't t
