The rest of the pack remained where they had been left.
No one stepped forward.
No one spoke.
That difference held.
I let the quiet settle where it needed to.
They felt it fully this time, without distraction or distance to soften it. What had been removed didn’t take their choices with it. What they had allowed still remained.
I stepped forward once.
It was enough to draw every eye back to me without effort. They didn’t look away this time, and they didn’t try to separate themselves from what had been said. There was nowhere left to stand outside of it.
“From this moment,” I said, my voice carrying through the hall, “Ashcrest stands under direct royal authority.”
The words settled without interruption.
There wasn’t anyone left to question it.
“You won’t act without order,” I co
