Alex stepped away from the wall.
The torchlight flickered across his frame as he moved, slow and deliberate. The soft echo of his footsteps was swallowed by the sheer tension choking the room. No one said a word. No one dared. The moment he pushed off the wall, the air seemed to contract, like it understood something the people hadn't yet fully processed.
They were all frozen.
Not by magic. Not by force.
By fear.
Not the dramatic kind—the cold, quiet kind that settled behind the ribs and made even the strongest men rethink their choices.
Half-lidded with calm, his eyesscanned the chamber like he was simply walking into a room he'd been in a thousand times. In a way, he had. Not this one specifically, but rooms like this were full of people who thought they were in control until the truth entered.
And right now, he was the truth.
Even if they didn't know his name.
Even if they weren't ready for what he represented.
