KILLIAN.
I stood in the entrance hall, Claude's words still ringing in my head like a warning. The Wolf Council. Coming for my children. My wolf pushed hard against my ribs, angry and protective, but I forced myself to stay calm.
"They can't just take them," I said. "Not from my territory. Not while I'm still breathing."
Aldric stepped closer, his face showing the kind of caution that came from living through things like this before. "It's more complicated, Killian. Candice disappeared while her identity and the twins' bloodline status were still under Council investigation. That gives them something to use against us. Loose ends like these... they don't like them."
I paced across the hall, my boots heavy against the wooden floor. Two hours later, the front doors opened and Arbitrator
