Hailey's POV
The stars watched us in silence as if even the heavens had been holding their breath all this while. Emilia's shameful retreat was somehow hurtful to me and Vickson. The dark magic she indulged in had now taken a toll on her mental health. We wanted to purge her of it, we wanted to bring Emilia home with us and start as one family again.
I stood in the middle of the sacred circle, its ancient runes glowing faintly beneath my feet. My children nestled close to the other pack mothers at the far end of the hall, half-asleep but safe.
Vickson stood a few steps away from me, his eyes dark and unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his thoughts even before he opened his mouth.
"Hailey," he said quietly.
The rest of the room faded like the world knew it was time to let us speak.
