The Great Hall felt like a courtroom, but the judge was a man with a scarred face and a heart made of mountain stone. Silas sat on his throne, his presence an oppressive weight that made the very shadows in the corners seem to cower. I stood beside him, my hand resting on the arm of his chair. I didn't hide behind him. I stood as his equal.
The heavy doors at the far end of the hall groaned open.
My father, Alpha Brennan of the Silver Moon, walked in. He looked smaller than I remembered. His expensive suit was wrinkled, and his face was pale, his eyes darting around the room with the frantic energy of a man who knew he had stepped into a trap. Beside him walked a man in a grey suit—the Council Advocate, an official meant to mediate pack disputes.
When my father’s eyes landed on me, he d
