The moon hung low that night, its silver light filtering through the high windows of the Alpha’s council chamber. Shadows clung to the corners like watchful eyes, silent and unyielding. Kaelen stood alone at the center, his fists clenched at his sides, the restless growl of his wolf echoing in his chest.
For days, he had tried to ignore the rumors, dismissing them as the foolish chatter of frightened wolves. But the whispers grew louder with each passing sunrise: of a woman whose hands glowed with silver light, of wounds knitting themselves closed under her touch, of a wolf unlike any other.
And every time he heard them, his chest tightened, his wolf howled, and Selene’s presence beside him felt more and more like a chain.
“Enough,” he muttered under his breath.
With silent steps, he l
