Emma
“Alpha Blackwood,” Malrec’s voice cut through the chamber, smooth but edged with irritation, “what is the meaning of this?”
The sound of his words snapped the room out of its stunned stillness. It was subtle—the way wolves shifted in their seats, the way elders leaned forward, the way a dozen scents spiked at once: suspicion, excitement, unease. The Council didn’t like surprises unless they were the ones delivering them.
And Lucian had just thrown a match into a room full of dry tinder.
I stood at the edge of the Blackwood section, Kieran beside me like a silent wall. My heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat, but my body stayed still. I had learned, in the human world, how to look calm while the ground cracked beneath me.
Malrec kept his gaze fixed on Lucian, b
