Chapter 285

AURELIA’S POV My chest clenched, my heart stuttered, and all the breath in my lungs vanished at once. The walls seemed to close in, their weight pressing down on me until I thought I might shatter beneath it. And then—something inside me snapped. Not my voice. Not my composure. Something far deeper. A heat surged from my core, wild and uncontrollable, racing beneath my skin like molten fire. My wolf stirred, restless and alarmed, but this wasn’t her. No, this was something else. Something older. Something buried. The air thickened, heavy as stone. A low hum vibrated in my ears as the atmosphere shifted. It was as though the very walls recognized me—bowed to me. A crushing weight spilled outward, wrapping the room in invisible chains. And suddenly… they all felt it. The gathered wolves gasped, some clutching at their throats as though the very air had turned poisonous. A few doubled over, coughing violently, their faces reddening under the strain. Servants stumbled to their knees, sweat