POV: Ayla

The grand hall feels different today. The polished wood and high windows no longer try to hide what this place is. It is a courtroom now. Every seat is filled. Every eye turns toward the center table where the council sits in a straight line of dark robes and heavier silence.

I walk in between Ryker and Caius. Zane stays half a step behind, close enough that I feel the steady heat of him at my back. The bond between the four of us sits quiet and strong. No one speaks as we take our places.

Dorian is already seated across the wide floor. His lawyers flank him....