Natalie POV
The heavy double doors of the Blackwood council chamber loomed before us, carved from dark, ancient oak and reinforced with cold iron. Behind those doors sat the pack elders—men and women who had ruled the territory in Richard’s absence, and who currently believed they were gathering to finalize his funeral arrangements and appoint his cousin, Henry, as the new Alpha.
It had only been a few hours since Richard’s decree in the study. The sun was now setting, casting long, bloody streaks of crimson and orange across the sky, bleeding through the high arched windows of the grand corridor.
"Stay close to my flank, Natalie," Richard’s deep voice vibrated near my ear, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
I looked up at him. He stood tall and imposing, dressed in formal Al
