Mira’s POV

The halls stayed quiet long after the council meeting ended. Guards moved like shadows, polite but watchful. My confinement had become a routine. My meals were delivered, but reports were withheld. Nothing was said about me at my hearing. I sat alone quietly, pretending not to bother about anything. But the bond continued to pulse under my skin; it beat slower now, strained, uneven.

Kael hadn’t come. His absence wasn’t avoidance; it was control. The council wanted distance, to ...