Chapter 9: The Gathering*
The old training grounds smelled like wet earth and old blood.
It had been years since anyone used this place. The ring was overgrown, the wooden posts rotted at the edges, but the pack still came when the call went out. Tonight, they came for me.
I stood at the center of the circle, no guards, no elders, no Kade at my back. He was there—at the edge, leaning against the fence, arms crossed. He’d promised not to interfere unless I asked.
Damon was there too. Front row, as always. Smirking like he already knew how this ended.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I recognized faces. Some I’d grown up with. Some who’d looked away when I left five years ago. None of them knew what to make of me now.
“Selene Vance,” Elder Mara’s voice cut through the noise. She sto
