Nova Peak Powinch

you wish to kill him? exile him? she says, the words an eruption of pain. before them all? her gaze locks with ayovi’s, a storm of confusion and raw emotion churning in her soul. the love for her child stirs something primal within her, a deep need to protect, to shield from harm at any cost. the fear of losing what she has built with lorcan grips her heart like an icy vice.

the air thickens, and for a moment, she stands frozen, caught between the need for justice and the brutal weight of her own love for lorcan. 

the thought of him dead—of never seeing him again—nearly breaks her. her resolve is still strong, but her heart shatters into pieces at the thought of the impossible choice she faces. 

i don't know what you expect of me, elowen murmurs, her voice a fragile thread in the silence between them. but i will not be forced to choose before them all.