The room felt smaller than it was as the leader’s words hung in the air, suffocating me. The weight of the decision pressed down on my shoulders, and I realized that whatever choice I made next wouldn’t just affect me—it would affect everyone.
Asher stood beside me, his hand still tightly gripping mine, his presence grounding me, but I could feel the strain in his grip, the silent pressure weighing on him, too. He wasn’t just worried about me—he was worried about what this decision would mean for both of us.
The leader—Darius, as I now realized—didn’t break his gaze as he stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine. There was a power in his presence, something that seemed to settle in the pit of my stomach like an impending storm.
“You’ve already felt it,” Darius continued, his voice s
