Chapter 41 Shadows From The Past

• The doors at the side of the throne hall opened with a groan, the sound echoing against marble and rune-etched stone. Mark strode in with two warriors at his flanks, their grips firm on the chains that bound the cloaked figure between them.
• Though most of the nobles and courtiers had been dismissed after the crowning, the throne hall still held the council, the warrior captains, and the lingering energy of the ceremony. The scent of incense still burned faintly in the air, but the mood had shifted. The cheers that had once filled the chamber had been replaced with silence sharp enough to cut.
• Lucia adjusted her crown unconsciously, the weight of it no longer ceremonial but oppressive. Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, restless at the sight of the figure. The chains rattled softly with each step he took, yet there was a steadiness in his bearing—as though no iron could truly contain him.