POV: Ayla

The holding room is plain on purpose. No windows. No soft chairs. Just a table, two seats, and the kind of quiet that makes every breath sound deliberate. Lila sits on the far side of the table with her hands folded in front of her. She looks smaller than she did in the academy corridors. The sharp confidence she used to wear like armor is gone. What remains is tired and careful.

I take the seat across from her. Ryker stands near the door. Zane leans against the wall to my right. Caius remains outside with the council advocate who arranged the meeting. The bond sits steady between...