Sage
THREE DAYS LATER
I strode into the council chamber of Black Claws Pack, the heavy oak doors swinging shut behind me with a thud that echoed off the stone walls. The elders were already seated around the massive round table, carved with our insignia—a snarling wolf encircled by thorns. Their faces turned toward me as one, a mix of respect and wary tension in their eyes. No one spoke until I took my place at the head, the high-backed chair creaking under my weight.
Alex sat to my right, arms crossed, his expression grim. Flanking him were the two Gammas—Kara, sharp-eyed and always calculating angles, and Van, built like a wall with a scar slicing down his cheek from last year’s rogue skirmish. They nodded once as I settled, ready.
The room smelled of aged wood, leather, and wolf—thi
