The Weight of Expectation
Rowan stood before the pack elders, his hands clenched behind his back as he struggled to keep his expression neutral. The air in the council chamber was thick with tension, the scent of aged wood and burning sage doing little to mask the underlying scent of disapproval.
They had summoned him the moment word had spread—Caleb was back.
Or rather, Rowan had brought him back.
Seated before him in a semicircle, the elders eyed him with stern, unreadable expressions. They were the oldest members of the pack, those who had guided his father before him, and now believed it their duty to guide Rowan.
“Alpha,” Elder Garrick began, his voice calm but heavy with meaning. “You have always had our counsel, and we have supported you despite your… difficult transition into
