Zach.
My mind flickered back to the moment the doors opened. The scent shift. The shadow was moving before anyone else sensed it.
The beast had not come for Clay.
It had come for him.
But Selene had rushed to Clay.
Leaving Zach exposed.
And I had moved without thinking.
“You are playing out a script,” I said quietly.
Torin’s eyes sharpened.
Selene’s lips parted slightly.
Clay frowned. “Explain.”
I forced myself onto one elbow despite the protest from my body. “Every move is timed, every accusation placed before evidence. The beast appears the moment Zach enters. You rush to Clay. I defend the chamber. And now the narrative is ready.”
Selene’s composure cracked for half a second. Just enough.
“What narrative?” she asked evenly.
“That I am chaos.”
The Elders who were there shi
