Ella's POV
The moment the words left Alaric's mouth—"Let her lead us into it"—the silence splintered.
"You're asking a girl barely past eighteen," Remo said, his voice more growl than speech, "to lead a war rooted in bloodlines older than this council."
"She's not just a girl anymore," Selene answered. "Not since the mark. Not since the bond."
I felt every eye shift to me again.
I had stood before them during my trial, bloodied and bruised, but proud. This was different. This wasn't about strength anymore.
This was about legacy. Power. The kind that couldn't be earned through battle—it was born, or cursed.
"I didn't ask for this," I said, quietly. "I didn't ask to be anyone's Guardian. I didn't even ask to survive."
"And yet," Eira said softly, "you did."
I hated the way her word
