"AIDEN"
The silence after Mara uttered that name was more deafening than any war cry I'd ever heard.
The name hung in the air like poison, infecting every breath, every heartbeat in the council chamber.
I didn’t know whether I felt the burn of betrayal or the cold blade of humiliation first.
For a moment, my legs forgot how to hold me up. But I didn’t fall. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Instead, I drew in a single breath, slow and steady, locking my knees, my spine, my heart.
Silence fell upon the Council Hall like a thick, choking fog. The golden torches flickered against the stone walls, casting eerie shadows on the faces of the Elders seated in a semicircle.
Aiden stood beside me, firm and unreadable, his hands clasped behind his back as always.....like he was carved fro
