THORNE POINT OF VIEW

The throne room felt heavier than usual, suffused with a tension I could taste. The boy’s testimony had cleared my name, but it had also opened a door I wasn’t sure I was ready to walk through. Someone had killed the Sacredmoon envoy, but it wasn’t me. Someone had orchestrated it to make it look like I had. Someone had tried to drag my pack, my people, and my honor into chaos.

I paced once, letting the pain in my leg remind me that even in anger, I was not ...