AYASHA'S POV
He spoke like nothing had happened. Like a woman hadn't just been murdered in front of us. Like Zara's blood wasn't still spreading across the floor, dark and thick and final.
I finally forced myself to look away from her body, to focus on anything else. My eyes found the judges' table automatically, seeking the source of my impossibly high score.
King Nahuel was smiling. A genuine, pleased expression that made my stomach turn. He caught my eye and nodded once, like he was acknowledging a job well done.
Beside him, Koda sat perfectly still. His face showed nothing, but I could feel something through the mate bond. Guilt. Pain. Relief. A complex tangle of emotions that I didn't understand.
Had he voted for me? Was that why my score was so high? I thought I would be the one to bear the brunt of it because of what I did in the first round. But No.
