~ ZARA ~
The Select's quarters were in chaos. As I reached the top of the stairs, Ash clinging to my back, I was stunned to see everything from women screaming in tears, to others staggering as if they were injured—and Roselind being carried just ahead of me by her Defender.
Apparently no one had been prepared for David's announcement. Not even Stark if the flash of emotion I'd caught on his face was any indication.
For me, the moment those words rang through the chamber my heart had risen.
Elite. He was naming myself, Emory, and Lizbeth the Elite. And if I understood correctly, that meant all the other women had just been officially rejected.
Their shrieks and sobs among the bustle of noble exclamations made my heart take a dive.
What surprised me was that the disruption in the gathering seemed to gain momentum, rather than ease after that initial shock.
