Chapter 25. Hollow Tongues

The envelope arrived with no sound.

It was already on Aria’s bedside table when she woke—sealed with deep red wax, the mark of the elders pressed into its center like a brand. She stared at it for a long time before touching it.

She didn’t need to open it to know what it said.

But she did anyway.

You are summoned. Elder Wing. Noon. No escort.

No signature.

No pretense.

The halls felt colder that morning. Eyes followed her more blatantly. Students didn’t just whisper anymore—they parted as she passed, as though some instinct told them to make room or risk being caught in her wake.

Even the instructors didn’t meet her gaze.

Only Jules walked beside her, jaw set, boots sharp on the stone.

“They’re going to try and get under your skin,” she said. “Don’t let them.”

Aria kept walking.

“They’ll talk about your blood. Your wolf. Your… ‘deficiencies.’ Whatever gives them leverage.”

“I know.”

“They want