Everything felt too heavy.
The gazes piercing through me, the held breaths, the suffocating anticipation. Every warrior, every rogue, every face reflected the same question: What are you going to do, Elise?
My gaze swept over the circle of wolves surrounding me, stopping on Connor.
His face was tense, but his eyes... his eyes offered me something no one else in this place could: unconditional support. His voice echoed in my mind once more, warm and firm.
"I'm with you."
I swallowed hard. I clung to those words.
Finally, my eyes found Lucian.
His rigid posture, his fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight with tension. He was furious, but beneath that fury, there was something deeper.
Pain.
I took a deep breath.
"You were the one who made this decision, Lucian."
His eyes narrow
