Silence swallowed the western audience hall.
Not the ordinary silence of conversation ending.
This one felt heavier.
Sharper.
Like the moment before glass shattered.
Selene stood motionless beside the council table while Lucien's confession settled across the room like poison spreading through water.
Several months.
The academy knew about the Moon Wolf awakening for several months.
Kael's presence darkened instantly.
The pressure rolling from him became almost suffocating, heavy enough that nearby palace guards outside the hall visibly stiffened through the open doors.
Fenrir looked openly entertained now.
Freya, however, had gone completely still.
Dangerously still.
Lucien met Kael's gaze without backing away, though tension remained obvious in the sharp line of his shoulders.
"The academy didn't confirm the awakening fully," he said carefully. "Only traces of unusual bloodline activity tied to House Valemont."
Kael's golden eyes looked lethal beneath the candlelight.
