Elara POV
The room wasn’t quiet for long. I had already known that silence never lasted. The silence only lasted long enough for the weight of what we had said to settle and for the realization to take root in a way that could not be undone. And then, the world outside came back in a loud and insistent manner, like it refused to let us sit in that understanding for too long.
A knock came at the door and I turned quickly in the direction of the sound.
The knock was firm and controlled but it wasn’t patient either.
Kael didn’t look away from me when he said, “Enter.”
The door opened just enough for one of the guards to step inside, his posture straight but tense in a way that told me everything I needed to know before he even spoke.
“The council has gathered, Alpha,” he said, his g
