KAEL'S POV
The Council chamber felt like a tomb.
Ayla sat beside me, Lyra sleeping in her arms. Our daughter hadn't woken since collapsing in the forest—her body still recovering from the forced shift.
Twelve Council members sat in a semicircle, watching us with expressions ranging from concern to outright fear.
"Let's begin," Lord Darius said. "The princess shifted at three years old. Prematurely. Violently. And from what we witnessed, nearly attacked her own parents."
"She didn't know what she was doing," Ayla said coldly. "Her wolf was new. Uncontrolled."
"Exactly our concern, Luna. If she can't control her wolf at three, what happens when she's ten? Fifteen? Twenty?" Another Councilor—Lady Maren—leaned forward. "The child is dangerous."
"Careful," I said quietly. "You're talking about my daughter."
