Two months had passed since the picnic at Crescent Falls, and the fragile peace Ivy had built was beginning to feel almost real. Almost.
She sat in her office reviewing the latest territorial agreements when Justin knocked on her door, his expression grave.
"We have a visitor," he said. "From the European Council."
Ivy's pen stilled. The European Council never sent representatives unless something catastrophic was happening. "Show them in."
The woman who entered was striking, tall, with silver-white hair despite appearing no older than forty, and eyes the color of arctic ice. She moved with the fluid grace of a predator who'd never known defeat.
"Alpha Blackwood," the woman said in accented English. "I am Katerina Volkov, Emissary of the European Council. We need to discuss your child
