{ "Loyalty is what makes us trust, trust is what makes us loyal." }
AURORA'S POV
The council chamber thrummed with ancient power, the kind that seeped into stone and never left. Moonlight poured through the stained-glass skylight, casting fractured glimmers across the obsidian table that stretched in a perfect circle at the heart of the room. My heart was steady, my spine straighter than ever, even as the air vibrated with tension. They were all watching me with some curiosity, others with veiled suspicion.
"I call this council to order," I said, voice clear and edged with steel. "As Interim Leader of the Paradise Bay Coven, I will not waste time with the ceremony. We have decisions, and I intend to make them with you, not for you."
To my right, Nessa stood close to my mate, my anchor. Her hand brushed mine under the table, the only warmth in a room filled with ice. She gave me a look that said, "You have got this," and I breathed her in like a shield.
