Chapter 703: The Truth on the Platform
Sophia smiled at Orion, and then she nodded.
"I am not backing down from this," she said.
Orion held her gaze for a moment longer, searching for something—doubt, fear, hesitation perhaps—but he found none.
He nodded then, a smile on his face.
---
The square was full.
Word had spread quickly after the vision. Pack members had gathered in clusters, their breath fogging in the cold afternoon air, their eyes fixed on the platform where Sophia had collapsed just hours before. The snow fell steadily now, soft and relentless, dusting shoulders and hair and the edges of the raised wooden structure.
Sophia climbed the steps alone.
Orion remained at the base, close enough to reach her if needed, far enough to let her stand on her own. The elders had positioned themselves around the edges of the square, their presence a quiet reassurance rather than an imposition.
The crowd watched her in silence.
