Olivia’s POV
The applause from the pack still echoed faintly in my ears hours later, though by now the great hall was empty, its stone walls holding nothing but shadows. I had stood there in front of them, trembling but resolute, and for one fragile moment I had believed it was enough. That words could heal, that truth could silence lies.
But as dawn crept through the curtains of Lucas’s study, the silence felt heavier than victory. Applause could not erase suspicion. A speech could not untangle poison once it had seeped into the veins of a community.
I sat curled in one of the leather chairs, my knees drawn up, a blanket draped around my shoulders. Lucas hadn’t slept at all. He stood at the window, broad shoulders rigid, hands clasped behind his back. The glow of morning painted his fa
