Zariah tapped the armrest of her seat in a rapid manner, her gaze fixed on the parchment of paper before her where she was to write down the name of her chosen Alpha to participate in the challenge.
All the other members of the council had made their choice and Zariah was the only one left. The challenge was set to commence by dawn and Zariah still had too much on her mind to even contemplate it.
The door to the council room came open and Zariah glanced up as Nile and Kristen walked in, escorted by Allen who looked visibly relieved.
Nile had been unreachable for three days and though they had to keep his disappearance quiet with the Ethereal palace fully occupied by outsiders, Allen had nearly lost it and Zariah too, though she hid it better.
"Above all else, he returned safely..." Allen began to pacify the tension he knew was to ensue but Zariah interrupted him.
