The chamber door closed behind Prince Kaelith, leaving a faint chill in the air where his shadows had lingered. The Queen, Mira, Theron, and Elara remained in the moonlit room, the silence thick with the weight of Elara’s choice. The lanterns flickered softly, their silver glow brushing across stone walls that suddenly felt too close, too quiet, too full of unspoken tension.
Theron stood a few feet away, chest rising and falling too quickly, as if he were trying to breathe through a storm. His eyes still glowed faintly gold, the remnants of his lycan barely contained beneath his skin. His aura pulsed with something raw and unsettled, a restless energy that made the air hum.
The Queen exhaled slowly. “Elara, you understand the gravity of what you have chosen.”
Elara nodded. “I do.”
Ther
