Alexandra POV
I stood at the top of the grand staircase, my fingers digging into the cold marble railing. Down in the foyer, the front doors had been thrown open, and the silence I’d fought so hard to keep was being trampled.
My father, Silas, was standing by the fireplace, shaking the snow off his coat. He looked every bit the high-ranking wolf he was—solid, weathered, and possessing an aura that usually made people back up three steps. But beside him wasn't my brother. It was Councilman Halloway, a lean, sharp-eyed man in a charcoal suit whose presence felt like a layer of frost over the entire room. He was here early for the audit, and he looked like he was already counting our mistakes.
"He’s been back for four days, Silas," Halloway said, his voice clipped and precise. "The Vane th
