KODA'S POV
I went straight to the Grand Hall.
Mira had dressed me earlier that evening, fussing over my cuffs and collar like I was still the Crown Prince. She'd mentioned the dinner only in passing, said something about it being for the remaining competitors. I didn't ask questions then. I'd been too tired. Too heavy with everything I'd done that day. I thought I'd just slip in quietly, find Ayasha across the room, maybe catch her eye, maybe feel like I hadn't lost every damn thing.
But when I opened the heavy doors to the Grand Hall, I stepped into an empty room.
Chandeliers lit the space like it expected guests. The table was laid out. Polished, waiting. Not a single servant bustled through, no girls giggling in clusters, no wolves posturing for attention. The chairs sat untouched, the air too clean, too staged.
They weren't here.
