Chapter 107 107

• CRUELLA
• The throne room was silent, but not empty. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting for me to decide what would live and what would crumble. I could feel every heartbeat in the palace—fast, slow, fearful, and curious. Each one was a note in a symphony I now conducted.
• Jason was beside me, still fragile, still human—but stronger than most men twice his age because he had survived what Sheila had done. I didn’t need to speak; he knew I had his back. My fire whispered along my veins, shadow coiled protectively around us, and that third, royal power pulsed through me like a heartbeat of its own, demanding recognition.