Like a noose, the circle closed in on me.
Wolves huddled close to the edges, their eyes shining with fear, hunger, and respect. Their smell, as sharp as iron, filled every breath I took. The law hummed through my bones like a second heartbeat, burning in the stones beneath my feet.
But, nobody made a move. Not Thorn. Not Kalen. Not me.
Tense as wire, the silence drew on.
Then a voice older than any wolf rose from the stones themselves, and the ground beneath the circle shivered.
No claws. No fire. Truth.
The air was split by the words, which rippled through blood, shadow, and marrow. As though the law had spoken from their own ribs, the wolves shivered and fell silent.
Thorn’s hand twitched toward me, but he froze. His fire dimmed, caught between rage and helplessness. “It’s c
