All eyes turned.
Prince Heiko rose slowly to his feet, the shackles that once restrained him now removed, though their imprint still lingered on his wrists — a cruel reminder of how close they came to condemning their own.
River turned to him instantly. From the flicker in his dark eyes and the renewed fire beneath the surface of his skin, she could feel it — the wolfsbane was fading. His true self was beginning to return. His beast stirred once more, slowly healing, reclaiming the body that had been weakened and poisoned.
And yet, Heiko did not roar. He did not strike.
He walked — slowly, deliberately — to the center of the royal court.
Then he stood tall, his voice slicing through the air like cold steel.
“I feel relief that the truth was unveiled. That the lies have been uncovered
