Dignity

Zane~

I stood near my father's side, still wearing the face of Cole Lucky—cold, unreadable, distant. The mask I'd worn for years now. And yet, when Owen Blackthorn's voice broke the silence again, I felt something ancient stir inside me. Red shifted, ears perked. The restless wolf was listening.

"If I may ask, Your Majesty," Owen said, bowing with an edge of ice in his voice, "why is Mr. Lucky here? And more importantly… why is he the one entrusted with a matter as sensitive as this?"

The gall.

I didn't move, didn't flinch. But I met Owen's eyes. Calm. Silent. The kind of silence that unnerves men who crave control.

My father, however, just chuckled—a low, amused sound that sent a ripple through the gathered court.

"Because," he said, rising from his throne with the grace of a panther, "Mr. Lucky is no ordinary man. He's incredible."