Elara's pov
The air in the war room was thick enough to choke on. It was almost like everyone had suddenly forgotten how to breath at the same time.
"Cassian Virel," one of the enforcers whispered, as if saying the name out loud might make it less real.
Cassian didn't react to the tension the way I expected. He didn't look relieved, or bitter, or even cautious. If anything, he looked… mildly entertained.
He rolled his shoulders like he had just woken from a long nap instead of surviving whatever the mountain had done to us. Then his gaze swept across the room slowly, taking everything in without urgency and fear.
"You're all staring," he said lightly. "It's a little unsettling."
No one laughed.
One of the enforcers stepped forward, his posture stiff. "The Alpha of the Eastern Ridge is dead. His second son took the title years ago. Cassian Virel was declared dead with him."
Cassian tilted his head slightly, considering that. "Ah. So my brother finally got what he wanted."
