VANESSA'S POV
The silence that followed was different.
It was not the quiet of peace, nor the tense hush before a storm. It was the deep, profound silence that follows a single, devastating note—a silence that rings louder than any sound.
We had thrown a boulder into the pond of their arrogance. Now, we waited for the ripples to hit the shore.
Hours bled into a day. The patrols reported nothing. No more dead birds. No twisted messages. No psychic needles probing our shield. The oppressive, watching feeling did not return. There was only the steady, humming quiet of the territory, the moonstone network pulsing like a steady heartbeat beneath our feet.
It was more unnerving than the attacks.
In the war room, Kael broke the quiet. "They felt it." It wasn't a question. His jaw was tight,
