Chapter 39:Council Confrontation

(Scarlett's POV) The energy in the Silver Moon Manor’s grand hall was suffocating. It was the first time in years that I felt this much animosity directed at me in one place. Although I’d taken deliberate strides to remain unaffected, the weight of countless eyes on me made my skin prickle. Daniel Winter wasted no time charging toward me, his amber eyes blazing with pure rage. His voice cut through the murmurs of the crowd like a blade. "What are you even doing here, Scarlett?" he growled, his tone powerful and accusing. "You show up uninvited, dressed like you're here to mock us!" His gaze flickered over my leather jacket and boots with palpable disdain. "This isn’t some rogue hangout. It's the Northern Council gathering, and you’re disgracing it." The hostility in his tone was thick, heavy, but I refused to let it faze me. Several council members shifted uncomfortably, their expressions ranging from judgmental to curious, as if they were waiting to see how I would respond. I