The bowing ended the moment the doors closed.
Stone groaned as the council chamber sealed behind them, ancient locks grinding into place, cutting off the murmurs, the politics, the fear masquerading as obedience. The sound echoed down the corridor like a verdict that had not yet finished being written.
Aria exhaled.
Only then did she realize how tightly she had been holding herself together.
The hallway beyond the chamber was long and narrow, lit by iron sconces whose flames flickered uneasily, reacting to the residual power still clinging to her skin. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the mansion itself were adjusting to her presence, recalibrating centuries of hierarchy around her heartbeat.
Her wolf did not relax.
If anything, it grew more alert.
Damien walked beside her, close but not crowding, his presence a steady pressure at her back. Not shielding her from the world.
Standing with her in it.
