EMBER’S POV
The second we leave the chaos, the world tilts.
Knox leads me through the lobby, hand possessive on my back. People part for us automatically—reporters, alphas, staff—all of them stepping aside like we’re radioactive.
Nobody meets my eyes, but I feel every single one burning into my skin.
I catch fragments of whispers: “That’s her—” “Did you see—?” “The Lycan King—” “Her husband—”
Cameras flash. Someone snaps a picture two feet from my face and I blink, vision exploding with red dots.
We reach the elevator and Knox slams his palm against the button so hard the plastic cracks.
When the doors finally open, he shepherds me inside and jabs the penthouse button. The doors slide shut, cutting off the white noise of the lobby in one clean motion.
Blessed silence.
No more qu
