Stephano's POV
"She made her values clear," I corrected. "That's not the same thing."
A murmur rippled through the room, not disagreement. Consideration.
That was worse.
"We're protecting the pack," someone said. A witch. Calm.
Reasonable. The kind of voice people trusted because it sounded tired rather than ambitious. "That's the priority."
"And who decides what protection looks like now?" I asked.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Elder Halvar sighed, rubbing his temples. "Stefano, this isn't about undermining Aurora."
"No," I said evenly. "It's about redefining her."
That landed harder.
I felt it not in the room, but in my chest. The bond hummed faintly, distant, as if acknowledging a truth I didn't want to articulate yet.
Marek folded his hands. "She chose restraint."
"Yes," I said.
"And restraint creates space," he continued. "Space invites initiative."
I laughed once. Short. Sharp.
"Careful," I said. "That's how abdication gets dressed up as delegation."
