Chapter 159

Elena’s POV Silence crashed over the square, heavy and absolute, as if the world had forgotten how to move. No shouts. No whispers. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. I stood there, frozen, my pulse thundering in my ears. I had heard Evelyn’s words. Every single one of them. But my mind refused to accept their meaning. They hovered somewhere above me, too heavy, too impossible to land. Lady Valentina’s… daughter? That was absurd. Completely absurd. Before I could even begin to form a thought, Alpha Jose exploded. “This is nonsense!” he roared, slamming his palm against the arm of his chair as he surged to his feet. “An outrageous lie to disrupt justice. Guards…remove them immediately!” Evelyn didn’t move.,She straightened instead, shoulders back, chin lifted. I felt it before I saw it; the shift in the air, the low, dangerous hum of a wolf pushing close to the surface. “You want us gone?” she said calmly. “Then you’ll have to force us.” Behind her, the Frostpine soldiers stepped