Сhapter 162

Elvira POV

I buttoned the last button of my black coat, staring at my reflection in the tall gilded mirror. My hair fell in dark waves down my back, the ends curling rebelliously. My eyes, once mossy and warm, now looked like shards of malachite under dim morning light. A glint that hadn’t been there before reflected back at me. Colder. Sharper. Deadlier.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the callouses at the base of each. My wolf hummed low, restless beneath my skin. Today, it whispered, something will shift.

A knock rattled my room door. I slid my dagger into its thigh sheath and straightened my posture.

“Come in.”

Cassian entered quietly, the scent of cold wind and cedar swallowing the lavender incense lingering from last night. His hair was damp, curling slightly at the ends, as