The chamber fell into a suffocating silence after the Council’s messenger departed. His words still hung in the air like a curse: “Under the Blood Moon, she will choose—or be claimed by force.”
I could feel all four of them watching me—Lucian, Kael, Darius, and Rowan. Each gaze was different. Lucian’s was sharp and assessing, Kael’s unreadable but tense, Darius’s burning with defiance, and Rowan’s… Rowan’s eyes looked like they wanted to shield me from the whole world.
The problem was, the world didn’t care.
“You’re not choosing under threat,” Darius growled, his hand slamming the edge of the table. The wood splintered slightly. “If they think they can force you—”
“Darius.” Lucian’s tone was calm but lethal. “We can’t go to war with the Council. Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Darius rounded on
