The double doors of the Silver Hall opened with a boom that instantly silenced the guttural murmur of the lupine nobility. The air in the room was heavy, saturated with the smell of roasted meat, strong wine, and the latent aggression of dozens of Alphas and their lineages, all gathered under Queen Isolde's icy gaze. At the top of the staircase, Cedrik remained motionless, his black gala armor reflecting the light of a thousand candles, but it was the figure at his side that held every breath in the room.Freya felt exposed in a way that no physical nudity had ever matched. By Cedrik's order—or rather, by the imposition of Isolde's game—she had been dressed in liquid silk of a deep crimson shade, the color of royal blood. The dress, though luxurious, was designed to be a provocation: the neckline was low, exposing the marks that the full moon night had left on her collarbone, and the side slits revealed her legs with every step, as if she were nothing more than an exotic pelt being di
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