Winter passed into early spring, and with it came an unexpected visitor.
Not the Shadow Alpha. Someone Reign hadn't seen in months.
A Council messenger, bearing the seal of the new regime.
"The Shadow Alpha requests your presence at a summit," the messenger said, reading from an official document. "All major powers are invited to discuss the future of the territories."
Reign studied the wolf. He looked nervous, which made sense. Last time she'd seen Council messengers, she'd been fighting their army.
"Requests or demands?" she asked.
"Requests. The Shadow Alpha was clear. You're invited as an equal, not a subject." The messenger swallowed. "He said to tell you it's not a trap. Just a conversation."
"His conversations tend to end with people dead."
"He gave his word. As the ruler of
