Zane barely had a moment to catch his breath. He had spent the last hour combing through the stack of documents he had neglected in the chaos of the last few days. The papers were urgent—land disputes, treaties, finances—all necessary to keep his power intact. But his mind was elsewhere, constantly drifting back to the witch's unsettling words, the council's scrutiny, and, of course, Maeve. Now that the council had confirmed the child was his, everything had grown more complicated.
Just as he was about to force himself to focus, a sharp knock echoed through the room. The knock was urgent, louder than usual. Zane, irritated by the constant interruptions, was just about to grant permission when the door swung open abruptly, revealing Talon, his best friend and unofficial Beta.
