The silence that descended upon the moonlit terrace was heavy, absolute, and profoundly deafening. The only sounds that remained were the biting howl of the northern wind rushing through the jagged peaks of the Crescent Moon territory and the sickening crunch of shattered glass beneath King Valerius’s heavy, armored boots.
Elara stood perfectly still by the marble balustrade, her chest rising and falling in slow, rhythmic breaths. Her eyes were fixed on the dark, empty archway where Kaelen had just fled. A few minutes ago, the Southern Alpha had stood before her, radiating the arrogance and possessive entitlement that had defined his entire existence. Now, he had crawled away like a beaten, terrified scavenger.
She waited for the familiar ache in her chest. She searched the deepest, da
