The grand hall was heavy with silence, broken only by the sound of rustling papers as the votes were being counted.
Kimberly, standing at the center, held an air of authority, her expression calm and unreadable.
But the tension in the room was suffocating. Every gaze was locked onto her, waiting, anticipating.
At that moment, Alpha Theo walked back into the hall after excusing himself earlier.
His sharp eyes swept across the room, sensing the shift in energy. Something had changed in his brief absence.
He instinctively knew that whatever was about to happen would alter the balance of power forever.
Kimberly finally exhaled and looked up. "We are done counting the votes…" She paused for a second, letting the weight of the moment sink in before delivering the next words.
"And we have a tie."
A collective gasp rippled through the hall. Shock washed over everyone like a crashing wave.
