"Look at this," he muttered, eyes bright with amusement. "We rode through fire and demons for this peaceful welcome?"
"Shut up," Jean hissed at him.Sebastian smirked but said no more. "They're scared of us. That's what this is. Why announce a wolf's return if you don't plan to cage him? But I've made it this far, and I'll watch the world burn before I fall to cowards in armor." Sebastian was a force.
The silence shattered.
Like thunder on marble, armored boots struck the ground—twenty knights marched out of the castle in unison, shields gleaming in the pale sun, helmets down, blades at their sides.
They formed a hard wall in front of the gate, a glittering barricade of steel and discipline.
Alaric's eyes flicked over them—calculating, assessing. "Finally. A proper welcome. But why delay the arrest? Why let us stand so near the gate? They're planning something. Either an ambush or a show. But I'll give them neither." He smirked.
