Chapter 169

• Ian’s POV
• The room was cold, the kind of cold that settled into your bones, making you feel every inch of it. It wasn’t just the temperature, though. The council chamber always had this oppressive air about it, a tension that hung thick whenever we gathered. Today was no different, and I could feel it weighing heaving on my very old soul as I sat in the center, surrounded by the council members. Their eyes were fixed on me, sharp and expectant. I sighed. I knew what was coming. It was the same conversation we’d been having for weeks, but they weren’t going to back down anytime soon.
• Viktor was the first to speak. His voice was as cold as the air. “We need to discuss this marriage again, Ian. It’s time.”