Chapter 140

VALENTINA The council chamber reeked of smoke, incense, and judgment. Whispers snapped through the air like biting insects, brushing against my skin until every nerve screamed. Even though the Trial had ended, its shadow clung to me like a shroud. Some called me dangerous. Some called me a weapon. Others said nothing at all—just stared with veiled fear as though the shadows still curled at my feet. And maybe they did. I felt the echo of them inside me, restless and sharp. My blood hummed with power that didn’t belong to anyone else in this chamber, not even Andres. “Lady Valentina.” One of the elder Alphas leaned forward, his wrinkled hands clasped over a silver cane. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, didn’t flinch from mine. “Blood never lies. Power never comes unearned. Remember that.” My pulse hitched. It wasn’t his words—it was the weight of them, the implication that he knew something. That someone knew something. Before I could speak, Andres’s hand pressed against the small of my back