Thoren
The waiting was the hardest part.
Standing on the platform in front of half the kingdom should have felt intimidating. Thousands of people filled the square, stretching far beyond the rows of chairs Michelle had arranged the night before. Wolves and Lycans stood shoulder to shoulder beneath the strings of lights that crossed the plaza, their voices blending into a restless murmur that rolled through the city like distant surf.
But the crowd wasn’t what had my nerves tightening.
It was the empty aisle.
The musicians near the fountain shifted into a softer melody as the final conversations faded through the square. The sound carried easily across the plaza, gentle but steady, signaling to everyone gathered that the ceremony was about to begin.
Beside me, the officiant quietly ar
