Levi Cordova had never been good at sitting still. It was his one flaw as a Beta — the inability to stay quiet, stay invisible, stay in the background while important things happened without him. But today, Marcus had given him a mission that required exactly those skills.
"Attend the council meeting," Marcus had said. "As Lucas's representative. Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I want to know exactly what Rowan says when he thinks only the Elders are listening."
Levi sat in the back of the Elder Council chamber, Lionelle pacing restlessly inside him, and listened.
Rowan was in rare form. He moved through the council meeting like a conductor leading an orchestra — guiding the conversation, redirecting disagreements, building consensus with the subtle precision of a man who had b
