Demetrius gestured for Ezra to rise, his expression shifting from protective brother back to the calculated, commanding King. "Stand, Ezra. We don't hold protocol against a man when the ancestors choose his timing for him. Let’s talk about why you’re here."
Ezra stood, giving his leather pants a quick, subconscious dust-off, though his dark eyes immediately drifted back to Athena. She hadn't moved an inch, her arms crossed over her chest, but the fierce tension in her posture had melted into something entirely captivated.
"Sam told me you were highly recommended," I said, leaning against the edge of the long oak council table. "But your records from Crescent Ridge mention you spent the last few years managing their archives and historical texts, not a classroom. Why the sudden desire to
