Back in New Westport,
Alexander cleaned the sweat from his forehead.
The worst had passed.
Jaxon was stable, for now.
Victor had left without another word, and Alexander was grateful. He didn’t need the weight of family pride clogging the air.
Sienna still sat by Jaxon’s side. She hadn’t let go of his hand once.
Alexander spoke up quietly. “I’ll let the Council know. They’ll want formal terms. And backup security.”
She looked up. “The Council?”
“They’ll want to oversee the claiming. With everything going on, Ezra’s whispers, Mira’s movements, we can’t afford another surprise.”
“Do you think Ezra knows?” she asked.
“I think he’s betting on failure,” Alexander replied. “He’s stirring up enough doubt among the clans.
Mira’s attack only feeds the narrative.”
“And what narrative is
