Lucien hadn't spoken to me since that night in the hall.
He didn't have to. His silence was its own command. The kind that settled over the mansion like mist, heavy and impossible to ignore.
The pack moved as though nothing had happened, as though Seraphina's laughter hadn't sliced through the air like polished glass and Elizer's voice hadn't trembled when he'd tried to shield me.
Everyone simply... continued.
And so did I.
I kept my head down, hands busy, eyes averted. The servants whispered that I'd embarrassed the Alpha, that he'd finally see reason and strip me of my place. Others said nothing at all, just watched, waiting for me to break.
But I didn't. I couldn't.
Instead, I found comfort in small routines sweeping the east corridors, polishing the oak railing, and collecting t
