Kaelen's POV
The trial hall loomed ahead, but footsteps echoing behind me made me pause at the entrance.
I turned to find Seraphina walking toward me, her usual poise completely shattered. Her skin had taken on an ashen pallor, and her fingers were twisted together so tightly I could see her knuckles turning white. The telltale puffiness around her eyes suggested tears had already been shed, with more threatening to follow.
"Kaelen."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper, nothing like the commanding presence she typically maintained in pack gatherings.
I remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
She halted several steps away, lifting her gaze to meet mine. Those eyes held the same distinctive shape and emerald hue as Benedict's, yet they lacked the cunning manipulation I had grown accustomed to seeing in her father's stare.
