Axel could feel the weight of the entire hall pressing in on him, though it was not silence that suffocated him but the soundless prickle of attention.
Thousands of eyes were trained on him, some sharp with curiosity, some wide with disbelief, others heavy with judgment as if they could not comprehend how he dared stand, how he dared open his mouth against Alpha Norman.
But his wolf refused to let him back down. It prowled inside him, restless, clawing at his ribs as if demanding to be heard.
His heart pounded with the raw force of it, but instead of shrinking into his seat, Axel drew a slow breath, forced the tremor out of his voice, and let it carry through the hall.
