Even heroes have to answer to those in power.
The council chamber felt smaller than I remembered. Maybe because every seat was filled. Maybe because political pressure made the space contract around us. Maybe because facing judgment after surviving impossible combat created a different kind of tension than battle ever did.
Twelve council members sat before us. Diana's seat stood empty—a stark reminder of what we'd lost, what Gideon had taken from us, what this meeting was really about beneath all the formal proceedings.
Lady Katheris sat in the center position, her Alpha authority radiating through the room. Her expression was unreadable, her political mask firmly in place. She controlled these proceedings, and her judgment would shape the outcome regardless of any debate.
