Elena’s pov
The courtyard, usually a place of quiet reflection, buzzed with an unsettling energy. Chloe, dressed in a deceptively innocent top and leather pants, was holding a conversation with a group of guards.
Laughter, light and airy, drifted towards me, sharp and cold as shards of glass. It felt deliberately staged, Chloe wasn’t that friendly with the guards. The guards looked in awe as they spoke with her. Chloe was charismatic, of course she would hold their attention.
Something about it felt off. Not like before, not like the shapeshifter I detected earlier. These guards seemed…normal. Too normal, perhaps. The air around them was clear, no scent of the wild, no fierce look in their eyes. Still, I couldn't shake the unease.
Chloe noticed me, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows archi
