#Chapter 175: The Shadow Line

The ballroom was unrecognizable. Cracked marble tiles were buried under a haze of dust and shattered glass, with chandelier fragments scattered like bones across the floor. Soot clung to the columns, and the reek of ozone from shorted wiring lingered in the air. Somewhere behind the chaos, a fire alarm screamed like a living thing. I crouched near what was left of the stage and curled my fingers around the chain I’d found. Her pendant. Still warm, still carrying her. I didn’t need confirmation. She’d been here seconds ago, and someone had taken her. Behind me, Nathan’s voice cut through the comm feed. "Evac complete. North and East wings clear. We’re sealing exits now." I stood slowly, my jaw locked tight and my lungs burning. "Seal the borders. Lock every gate, every tunnel, every roof exit," I said, my voice cracking with the force of it. "I don’t care if it traps half the Council’s fucking relatives. No one gets in. No one gets out. Not a single person breathes outside t