Alpha Cornelia of Ravenshollow was nothing like I'd expected.
Where I'd anticipated someone polished and politically astute—the kind of leader who could serve as an effective front for Vera's machinations—I found instead a woman who carried herself with the weary pragmatism of someone who'd learned hard lessons about the nature of power. She was older than me by perhaps a decade, with silver threading through her dark hair and lines around her eyes that spoke of difficult decisions and sleepless nights.
"Alpha Selene," she said, settling into the chair across from my desk with careful dignity. "Thank you for agreeing to meet. I imagine recent events have left you with little reason to trust anyone associated with the Neutral Alliance."
"Recent events have left me with little reason to t
