The ritual ground lay beyond the main settlement of the Silverfang pack, carved into a wide clearing surrounded by ancient pines. The place had existed long before Ryker had been born, and the pack had used it for generations whenever the law demanded a judgment that no council chamber could settle.
Torches burned along the edges of the clearing. Their flames flickered against the dark trunks of the trees as dusk settled across the forest.
The entire pack had gathered.
Warriors stood in thick rows around the clearing, their expressions tense and uncertain. Elders occupied the stone seats that had been set in a half-circle near the center of the ritual ground. Younger wolves stood behind them, whispering as they watched the preparations.
The Moon override ritual had not been used in liv
