I swore my clan would never bow to the Nortons, but Thea has brought her sharp tongue and competitive fire straight into my hall, testing the limits of my dominance with every word she speaks across the long table.

Her knuckles crack before every argument, and the jagged scar on her collarbone says she has never backed down. The heat builds with each brush of shoulders over the ledgers, and I fight the urge to make her yield.

The assembly departs and Thea stays behind at the table. The hunger for her surrender could destroy the alliance we both need. I tell her to close the hall doors.