~KAIROS’ POV~
The council room felt suffocatingly quiet.
Peaceful. It used to be the one place that actually calmed me down
But that was back when my mom’s special tea kept my head foggy. But now the tea was wearing off, and every tiny sound hit me like a sharp poke.
Pens scratching on paper. Old guys breathing heavy. Even the clock ticking on the wall made me want to yell.
But the silence wasn’t the worst thing. The worst was the girl who wasn’t here.
I could feel her. A cold, sharp tug right in the middle of my chest. Somewhere far away, Elara was shaking from the cold. The mate bond was wide open now, and it dumped every feeling she had straight into me. I sat on my throne, teeth chattering because she was freezing. My hands trembled because she was scared.
“Alpha? Are you even
