Chapter 79
Draven's pov
The wind carried whispers. Soft at first, like the rustling of leaves, but growing louder, heavier. Even in silence, I could hear them.
It wasn’t just the sound of conversation drifting through the courtyard below—it was the weight behind it. The way voices dipped just as I came into earshot. The shift in posture, in movement. The hesitant steps. The careful, measured looks.
The way people hesitated before meeting my eyes.
The uncertain glances exchanged behind my back.
It was all there, building, festering.
Something had changed.
I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, my hands gripping the cold stone railing as I watched the pack below. They still obeyed, still followed, still bowed their heads in my presence. But there was something else now, s
