The air was thick with magic, a heavy, rich kind that settled in the bones and whispered to the skin. People moved through the courtyard, wolves in human form, their clothes stitched with silver thread, their eyes carrying too much power. She could feel it even without touching them.

A woman stood at the steps of the hall, young but carrying herself with the weight of a crown. Her hair was the same shade as Aurora’s, her eyes a gold so bright they seemed to burn.

Power rolled off her in waves, but there was a softness in the way she smiled at the man beside her. He was taller,...