Gary stood in the crowded great hall of the Sloan mansion, his arms crossed tightly, his dark eyes scanning the restless faces of the Blood Moon pack. The air was thick with tension, the scent of pine and wax mingling with the sharp edge of fear and suspicion. Serena sat beside him, her fevered warmth radiating through her cloak, her frail form a constant ache in his heart. The moonroot ritual, powered by his and Jack’s blood, had stabilized her fire witch powers, her flames now a precise lattice, but her illness lingered, a shadow that drained her strength. The mate bond pulsed, a warm tether that bound him to her, deepened by his sacrifice, but it was laced with a gnawing dread: rumors of Serena’s powers had spread like wildfire, stirring unrest, and Gary feared the pack’s fear could tur
