The council chamber was suffocating. The heavy wooden doors had barely shut behind me before the murmurs began—low, sharp, and poisonous.
“She’s a liability.”
“The Shadowfang Alpha is already calling her his.”
“What if she turns against us?”
Each word sliced deeper, louder than the echo of my boots on stone. I tried to keep my head high, but my heart hammered against my ribs. The air was thick with distrust, with the heavy weight of eyes burning into my skin.
At the head of the table sat my father, Alpha Marcus, his expression hard as granite. He had summoned the council to discuss border strategy, but I knew the truth. The real strategy wasn’t about borders. It was about me.
“Enough,” he said finally, his voice low but commanding. The murmurs died instantly. His gaze swept the room
