The chamber is vast, carved from black stone that seems to drink in the torchlight. Shadows cling to the vaulted ceiling, where banners of each pack hang heavy with age. The crescent table dominates the room, its surface etched with runes that pulse faintly, as if aware of the bloodline about to be tested.
“Juniper Ashe,” says a deep male voice from the central chair. The speaker is a tall man with a graying beard and golden eyes that burn like embers. His presence radiates authority, the kind that bends lesser wolves to silence. “You’ve finally arrived.”
My heart races, but I force my stance to remain steady. Killian halts half a step behind me, a sentinel carved from stone.
“Yes,” I reply, my voice even though my pulse betrays me. “I’m here to find out who I am. To understand what run
