Lola's POV

The hall was quiet now.

Joseph was gone. The soldiers who had come with him had either been detained or had walked out on their own, heads down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

The council members who had arrived so confidently behind him had slipped out one by one during the confusion, leaving behind only the echo of everything that had just happened.

Morgan stood in the middle of the room, looking at the damage, overturned furniture, scattered documents, and a long crack in the ...