Caelan POV:
I travel to Rourke’s territory alone.
Not because I prefer it that way, and certainly not because Elara lacks the strength or the authority to stand beside me when moments like this unfold, but because the decision had been hers before I could even shape an argument against it. She had made it calmly this morning in the courtyard.
“You should go,” she had said, standing beside me as the training ring.
“And you won’t?” I asked, watching her closely enough to know the answer before she gave it.
Her mouth had curved into the smallest smile, one that carried both warmth and certainty. “Not today.”
Vaelor stirred immediately beneath my skin, displeased with the idea of leaving her behind while the Council circled like wolves who had forgotten their place in the hierarchy.
“Th
