Chapter 19. The Shape of a Cage (1)

Mira barely had time to form a reply before a soft but firm voice echoed from behind them.

“Alpha Kaelen,” a young man in formal garb said with a respectful bow. “The council is assembled.”

Kaelen groaned under his breath, the sound almost too low for anyone else to hear, though Mira felt the tension ripple through him as if it were her own. His hand raked through his hair in frustration, a familiar motion by now—one Mira had come to understand meant he was fighting between duty and desire.

“Of course,” he muttered, jaw tight. “I’ve been gone too long. Too many things to answer for.”

He turned to Mira, regret etched deep into the set of his jaw, his eyes searching hers with quiet apology. “I’m sorry, Moonfire. Just a little while, alright?”

He didn’t wait for her reply, forcing himself to turn toward the corridor. Just a little while. The lie tasted like ash. He was already fighting a war. Magnus’s ultimatum—treason against the prophecy—demanded immedia