The morning broke gray and restless, clouds hanging heavy above the horizon as if the sky itself carried the weight of what was to come. The procession rode hard, hooves pounding against damp earth, a steady rhythm that carried Olivia’s heart along with it. Each mile brought them closer to the council chambers—and closer to Emily’s trap.
Olivia sat tall in her saddle, though her stomach was a storm of nerves. The messenger’s scroll replayed in her mind over and over. Proof. The word lodged like a shard of glass beneath her skin. Proof of what? Proof of lies? Proof fabricated by Emily’s clever hands? Or worse—proof twisted from a half-truth Olivia had yet to see coming?
Lucas rode beside her, his jaw tight, gaze fixed on the horizon. He was every inch the Alpha—shoulders broad, presence u
