~ TESSA'S POV~
My head throbbed as I forced my eyes open, vision swimming until it slowly steadied, and the very first thing I saw was a row of boots.
Large. Expensive. Polished.
Thomas's boots.
My body jerked in instinct, but chains clinked sharply, tightening around my wrists and ankles. I looked down, both my hands were bound in silver cuffs, my knees pressed to the ground.
My breath hitched.
I was kneeling just before the council and before Thomas.
I blinked rapidly as everything came back, the forest, the wolves, the screaming, Sophie too late, then my heart plummeted.
Thomas stood directly in front of me, arms folded, jaw so tight it looked carved from steel.
"Took you long enough to wake up," he said, his voice dangerously calm.
I refused to look afraid, of course I shouldn't be, so I lifted my chin slightly and looked around.
The council sat in a wide semicircle. Their faces are unreadable. Their robes are dark. Their eyes are sharp.
And then….
