His words were followed by a silence so thick it could suffocate, as though the very air had been sucked from the clearing. It was heavy, crushing. His declaration hung above them like smoke, dark and poisonous.

Kain braced himself. He expected the crowd to lunge at him, to rip him apart limb by limb. He expected stones, claws, fury.

But instead… they stepped back.

No one attacked. No one cursed him. No one even moved toward him.

Falcon was beyond furious. His rage pulsed like an earthquake beneath his feet. Kain had been clever, too clever—ending his confession with a veiled threat that had wormed into the hearts of...