Chapter 292

AURELIA’S POV When Draven’s guards ushered the first group of pack members into my new “office,” I tried to school my face into something resembling authority. But the truth was glaringly obvious: this wasn’t power. This was a performance. A hollow Luna’s mask, meant to placate the weak while the real authority stayed clenched in Draven’s fist. The first was an old woman, her hands raw from work. She bowed so low her back shook. “My Alpha’s mate,” she said softly. “My son’s rations were cut in half. He works the same as the others, but—” Before she could finish, one of the guards cleared his throat. The woman flinched. Her words broke. I leaned forward. “What’s your son’s name?” The woman glanced nervously at the door before whispering it. “I’ll… see what I can do,” I said, though the quill in my hand felt more like a toy than a tool. Draven would never let me alter rations. Still, I wrote it down. Maybe later, somehow, I could find a way to help. The next was a boy, not more than twel