The room was full by the time I sat down.
Not crowded.
That would have implied disorder.
This was worse.
Controlled.
Measured.
Every bench occupied by the exact kind of wolves who knew how to look fascinated without appearing vulgar about it. Elders in dark formal clothing. Senior pack families. A handful of high-ranking warriors pretending they had been summoned for security and not spectacle. Even a few women from the old houses sat in the second row, faces arranged into polite concern sharp enough to cut.
And Liam—
Liam stood near the far wall in black, jaw locked, looking like the night had dragged claws down the center of him and found something uglier underneath. Selene sat three seats away from him in cream, hands folded, posture perfect, expression once again polished into
