#Chapter 105: First Blood

ELENA For a second, the courtyard was absolutely silent. The fire crackled softly, and the soft notes of the drums had stilled to a heartbeat rhythm as everyone turned toward Logan. The moment he raised his hand and pointed across the ring—past the shifting torchlight and the stunned expressions—it felt like time stopped. “Him,” Logan said. His voice wasn’t raised, but it didn’t have to be. It rang clear. Direct. And no one missed who he meant. Derek. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. Neither did Derek. Across the circle, Derek’s face was unreadable. He stood slowly from where he’d been watching, handed his drink off to a warrior nearby, and walked toward the center of the ring like he’d been expecting this all night. Maybe he had. The air shifted. The good-natured energy that had buzzed through every Courting Circle match up to this point was gone, sucked out like someone had thrown a blanket over the fire. Even the crowd seemed to sense it. What had been casual