Kalilah POV

The last thing I expected was for everyone to accept me.

Later, after the announcement—after the murmurs, the tension, and the howls—I stood just outside the gathering circle, fingers resting on the railing. The blindfold was tight against my skin, but I held my head high.

I heard his footsteps before he spoke.

“You came,” I said.

“Of course I did.”

“They didn’t tear me apart.”

“They wouldn’t have dared.”

I huffed. “The last thing I expected was for everyone to accept me.”

“They didn’t all,” he said gently.

“No. But enough did.”

There was a pause.

“They saw what I see.”

I tilted my head. “Which is?”...