Moments later,

Author

The silence that followed Aria’s declaration hung thick and heavy over the great hall, stretching so long it felt like time itself had slowed to a crawl.

For a heartbeat, no one breathed, no one moved, no one dared make a sound that might draw the Unnamed Alpha’s attention. Then the spell broke, and a low, restless murmur rippled through the crowd like wind through dry grass.

Alphas shifting their weight, elders conferring in tight, huddled groups, and every pair of eyes darting between Aria standing unbowed in the center of the hall and the high dais where Malphas Volkov had not moved an inch. His crimson...