The invitation came on a Thursday.
I almost missed it. It was tucked into the weekly Millhaven community notices that Bess left on my doorstep every Thursday morning along with whatever surplus herbs she had from her garden and occasionally a small piece of something baked that she left without mentioning and that Eli found before I did without exception. The notices were usually unremarkable. Market schedules. Patrol updates. The kind of administrative information that kept a border settlement running smoothly.
This one had something extra at the bottom.
Silver Moon Pack was hosting an open pack gathering at the main grounds in four days. Not a formal ceremony. The language described it as a community meeting, an opportunity for outer settlement residents to raise concerns directly wit
