My legs trembled beneath the ceremonial robe as I stood at the crest of the gathering hill, the wind pulling strands of hair from my braid. Before me, wolves from both packs waited—some with curiosity, some with resentment, and others with barely veiled hostility.
I had faced many things in the past weeks—rejection, humiliation, betrayal—but nothing felt as heavy as this moment.
Elias stood at my side, tall and silent like a sentinel. His eyes scanned the crowd, but his hand found mine beneath the folds of his cloak. The squeeze he gave me wasn’t just comforting—it grounded me.
"You ready?" he asked, voice low, meant only for me.
"No," I whispered. "But I’ll do it anyway."
He gave a ghost of a smile. "That’s why they’ll follow you."
A voice boomed from the crowd, cutting through the
