-Ezra:
I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until it left me in a slow, quiet exhale.
The room felt… different now. Heavier. Not tense in the way it had been when I first sat here, surrounded by people who didn't trust me, watched by eyes that measured every movement I made—but heavy in a way that settled into my bones, like something important had just been placed in my hands, something I didn't know how to carry yet.
Julien shifted beside me, his shoulder brushing mine, warm and grounding. I could feel him turning toward his father, confusion written all over his face even before he spoke.
"So he's a fox," he said, his voice softer now, but still edged with that impatience he never tried to hide. "But what does that have to do with the tail? Why can't he… get rid of it when he shifts back?"
I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes on Aurelian.
