She arrived on foot.
No convoy, no escort, no attempt to disguise herself among the pack representatives still filtering out of the territory after the hearing. Just Talia, alone, walking up the long approach to the Obsidian Throne's gates in the same worn training jacket Aria remembered from the frost-covered yard, her hands raised and empty the moment the guards' floodlights caught her.
"I'm not armed," she called out, her voice carrying clearly across the distance. "I need to speak with Aria. Only Aria, if she'll have me."
Fenris's guards moved to intercept immediately, forming a wall of black leather between Talia and the gate itself, but Aria was already pushing past Ronan's arm, ignoring his low warning, ignoring Fenris's sharp intake of breath beside her.
"Let her through," Aria
