The hours after the council meeting moved slowly — like a river of still water that refused to flow.
Livia sat quietly inside the chamber where she had been staying since the Elders brought her to their sanctuary.
The silence was deafening, interrupted only by the faint hum of energy that pulsed through the walls — ancient magic woven into every stone to keep her contained.
Her gaze lingered on one particular spot: a narrow gap in the wall, so small it was almost invisible. She tilted her head slightly, curious.
"Why is there no window in a chamber this vast?" she wondered. It felt too much like a cage — even if she understood why it had to be.
Then she remembered what the Elders had told her on the first night — that this room was specially built to hold those suffering from rut or the pull of a powerful bond.
No one could break through it, not even the strongest wolf or the most determined mate. It wasn't a prison… but it also wasn't freedom.
