CIARA
The dining hall of the Blackthorn estate was too bright at the head of the table sat Hayes. He looked massive in his black uniform, his jaw set, his golden eyes scanning the room.
And right next to him sat Nilah.
She did not sit at the lower end of the table with the other visitors. She had taken the seat directly to his right—the seat that belonged to Luna. Nobody had stopped her. The pack elders had simply moved down to make space, their eyes darting between me, Hayes, and the woman who used to run this sector by his side.
Nilah wore a dark green dress that left her shoulders completely bare. She looked entirely at ease, her long fingers tapping a slow rhythm against the stem of her wine glass. The scent of her vanilla perfume was thick, cutting through the smell of the roasted
