Chapter 31
The courtyard thundered with noise—wolves howling in their human throats, soldiers chanting their king’s name, boots striking the flagstones in a rhythm of loyalty. I stood at Dae-Hyun’s side, still and silent, though my pulse surged like a river in flood. To anyone watching, I was serene, almost regal. But my senses were tearing at the edges of the crowd. Each body in that courtyard had a scent, a pulse, an aura—a shimmer of energy that wrapped around their human forms like a second skin. I’d learned them all by now: Gon’s steady iron, the guards’ smoky musk, the civilians’ mix of sweat, fear, and awe. And then… something else. A sour tang cut across the air, sharp as rot. A ripple of darkness shivered across the edges of the crowd, clinging to one presence that did not belong. My ear
- Writer
