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*CHAPTER 14: THEY SEE US AS A THREAT*
The cheers hadn’t even died when I felt it.
Stares. Cold. Calculating. Cutting through the celebration like knives.
I was still in Darius’s arms, Elias giggling between us, my stomach buzzing where our Lycan daughter kicked after the bond sealed. We were supposed to be safe. We were supposed to be home.
“Don’t look,” Darius murmured against my ear, but his body was already tense, his claws digging into my back. “Don’t let them see you afraid.”
I looked anyway.
The Lycan Council sat on the raised dais, untouched by the celebration below. Seven of them. Seven elders who’d ruled in Kade’s shadow for decades. Seven pairs of ancient eyes fixed on me and my son like we were a disease.
Elder Mara stood first. She was older than Darius, her silver
