The figures in front of us didn’t move. The weight of their presence pressed down on me, making it feel like the world had gone completely still. The only sound was the distant rustling of leaves in the wind, and the pounding of my own heart, faster than I could control.
Asher’s grip on my hand tightened, his muscles rigid, and I could feel the way his body responded to the tension in the air. It was as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for something to shift. For something to break.
“We need to move,” the darker-haired man said, his voice clipped, his tone firm. “The council expects you, Asher.”
I swallowed hard, the words settling over me like a cold, heavy blanket. The council. The ones who had been watching me, waiting for me to make the impossible choice. It was a
