MAXIMUS:
The council chambers felt thick with politics. The elders murmured about attacks on our trading grounds; others pressed about alliances, pushing harder for a Crescent union. My mother’s voice rose above them all, full of pride for Jasmine. Every word tasted like poison. I wondered if she was blind to what I saw or simply plain ignorance.
I was sitting on my chair, silent, letting them talk to themselves in circles. My wolf paced, snarling. Every report, every suggestion, every honeyed smile Jasmine offered — I could feel her claws digging deeper into my household, stacking her claim.
“Alpha,” Elder Carrow said, his voice careful, “the people grow restless. They see Lady Jasmine as a way to lighten the mood. Crescent’s daughter, Her presence here reassures them.”
Reassures? My
