Chapter 78

Zachary

They are planning to execute Daphne.

They are planning to kill my mate.

I should have known. I should have seen this coming from the very beginning. I never should have brought her back here. I walked her straight into the lion’s den and handed them the knife.

But if I had left her behind, would she have been safe? No. She was never safe. Not anywhere.

The thought made my blood boil. I had promised to protect her, and now I didn’t even know if she was still alive.

I stormed into the meeting hall. Chairs scraped against the floor as they all stood abruptly, shock written across their aging faces. They hadn’t expected me.

Good.

I remained by the door for a moment, letting the silence suffocate them before I walked in with slow, deliberate steps. I was calmer than I expected to be. Too calm. The kind of calm that comes before devastation.

I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not at that moment. I needed to know how to r