Olivia’s POV
The doors of the council hall closed behind us with a thud that echoed like a final verdict. For a heartbeat, I stood there in the corridor, staring at the carvings in the wood as though they might splinter under my gaze. My pulse hammered in my throat, but the fire inside me burned hotter than fear.
Lucas’s hand never left mine. His grip was iron, his thumb brushing circles over my knuckles, but I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. Behind us, Ava and Marcus lingered like sentries, their eyes scanning the corridor for listening ears.
“They won’t stop,” Ava said under her breath, her voice clipped. “Emily’s planted her seeds. Every elder will be whispering by dawn.”
“I know,” I said. My voice surprised me — steady, sharp. Not a whisper of the girl who had wa
