The elder’s staff still rang in the air when the shouting began.
“This is recognition!” a noble Alpha near the front barked. “Placing her under the king’s protection is the same as naming her future Queen!”
Another voice joined him at once. “We will not accept an orphan as consort to the crown!”
A third, sharper: “The law was never written for a second bond. This sets a dangerous precedent!”
The courtyard and the open doors of the throne room filled with overlapping protests. Council members turned on one another. Alphas from the border packs argued with those from the central territories. Someone demanded an immediate vote. Someone else demanded the High Moon Priest be removed for invoking an outdated statute. The silver light on my wrist had faded to a soft glow, but every eye still
