Not to mention we all needed Gideon here for one simple reason.
The circle.
Keegan came to my side without a word.
Gideon inclined his head slightly in Keegan’s direction. He wasn’t mocking or deferential. Instead, he acknowledged a rival who could not be ignored.
“Wolf,” he said.
“Shadow,” Keegan replied.
If they were going to lunge at each other, it would have already happened, but that knowledge didn’t make anyone relax.
Nova stepped forward, tapping her staff once against the stone floor. The sound carried just enough authority to pull attention away from the standoff.
“This is the moment where speculation becomes unnecessary,” she said calmly. “What happens next will not take place here.”
Everyone turned toward her.
“The Wilds are open,” she continued. “They are prepared to receive what must be done.”
My dad frowned slightly. “Theoretically.”
Nova nodded. “Theoretically.”
Twobble scowled. “I don’t like that word.”
“No one does,” Stella agreed. “It’s the word people use right before things get messy.”
Nova ignored them both with practiced ease.
“The Wilds don’t judge intent. They respond to agreement. Gideon has consented to the closing of the circle. The Hollows are holding that vow. What unfolds beyond the threshold will be shaped by what each of us brings with us.”
“And if someone brings bad intentions?” Skonk asked from behind the pillar.
“Then the Wilds will reflect them wholly for all to see,” Nova said.
A hush settled over the foyer, and a prickle of unease zipped through me.
I looked at Gideon and wondered what truth he carried that he hadn’t yet spoken, or were his intentions as he spoke them to me?
The stone vibrated again, low and steady, not approving, not condemning.
Waiting.
Whatever happened next, the Academy had chosen not to interfere.
And more than anything else, that told me this was no longer about keeping Gideon out.
It was about what would happen when he stepped fully in, and the circle was closed since it never should have been opened.
“I’ll get Gideon a refreshment,” Stella said, eying our visitor coolly.
Gideon’s brows lifted. “Should I be worried?”
“I don’t know, Gideon. Have you ever given us a reason that would make you worry?” Stella asked, wryly.
“Fair point,” Gideon said, clearing his throat.
