*Chapter 13: The Assembly*
The central courtyard smelled like damp stone and old pine by the time the sun hit noon.
Every wolf in the territory who could walk had come. Elders sat on the raised dais, their robes heavy with the weight of generations. Enforcers lined the perimeter, shoulders squared, eyes scanning the crowd. Families were pushed to the back, kids perched on shoulders or clinging to parents’ legs. Whispers rolled through the space like a low tide—nervous, expectant, hungry for an answer.
I stood with Kade at the edge of the circle. The stone beneath my boots was cold even through leather. My hands weren’t shaking this time. That was new.
“You don’t have to do this,” Kade said quietly. Only I could hear him over the low murmur of the crowd. His voice was low, careful, l
