ALDRIC
The silence dragged on, thick enough to feel.
Every eye in the hall settled on me, unblinking, expectant.
Cian sat rigid in his chair, his face drained of color. His hands clutched the armrests so tightly the tendons stood out, his knuckles stark and bloodless. He looked like he might snap if he moved.
Gabriel remained at the center of the hall, his chest rising and falling hard, as though the words he had just spoken had taken something out of him. The accusation still hung in the air, sharp and undeniable, meant to ruin me beyond repair.
And I had nothing to counter it.
Because it was true.
I had killed my brother.
I had arranged his death, dressed it up as an accident, and let rogues carry out the part no one could trace back to me. Involving the Alpha King had only made it cleaner and safer for me. It shifted attention and built a story that people accepted without question.
No one had looked deeper.
Until now.
Still, I was not about to let Gabriel have this.
