The Council chamber was silent, thick with an air that felt heavy enough to choke on. Aria stood at the center of the polished marble floor, every Council member's gaze weighing down on her like a mountain. She could hear the faint drip of water somewhere in the distance, a sound that shouldn't have been there but somehow matched the tension pooling in the room.
Kael stood behind her, silent but present, his warmth at her back a reminder she wasn't alone. Yet she didn't dare look at him. This was her fight.
The eldest Councilman, Lysander, adjusted his robes and leaned forward, his sharp eyes scanning her as though searching for cracks.
"You stand before us accused of destabilizing the peace between packs, manipulating allegiances for your own gain, and taking a life without formal sanction," he said, his voice cold and echoing against the walls.
