POV: Nyxara
The silence between us stretched like a chasm. Rhex sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, while I stood by the window trying to process what the bond had revealed.
"Say something," he finally whispered.
"Who?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "Who ordered my family dead?"
He looked up, amber eyes haunted. "The Council of Five."
The name meant nothing to me. "What council? I've never heard of them."
"That's the point. They're a secret organization that's ruled over all packs for centuries." Rhex stood, pacing like a caged animal. "Five of the most powerful Alphas from different territories. They make decisions that affect every wolf alive, and no one even knows they exist."
My mind raced. "Why would they want my pack destroyed?"
"Because your paren
