Elara's POV
I woke before him.
The morning light was gray through the windows, soft and quiet, creeping across the floor like water. The fire had burned down to ash. The candles had died hours ago. The room was cold, but I was warm. His arm was around me. His chest was against my back. His breath was slow and even.
I did not move. I just lay there, watching the light, feeling him breathe.
Yesterday.
The square. The stones. The screams of the crowd. The look on Thorn's face when I raised the sword. The council chamber. Kaelen walking in. The announcement. The silence that followed.
I thought about all of it. The fear. The rage. The exhaustion. The moment when I thought I might break. The moment when I did not.
I did not regret any of it.
