The hall was still ringing with echoes long after the Alphas had left. It was as though the walls themselves remembered every accusation, every veiled threat, every promise of allegiance that had dissolved into smoke the moment the council ended.
Lena stood rooted where she was, fingers curling against the cool black stone of the table. The serpent-and-crown slates remained scattered there like an unspoken curse, their jagged edges catching the torchlight. She felt the weight of every eye that had been on her, the hunger, the suspicion, the unyielding judgment.
Dominic had not moved from her side. His presence was a shield, and yet his silence was heavier than armor.
---
The Aftermath
Mireya was the first to break the silence. Her crimson cloak shifted like blood pooling on stone as s
