Maya stood with her father deep in the woods. She hugged her cloak tighter around her shoulders, not so much from the chill as from the unease that had been eating her up ever since she overheard the conversation.
Her father, Elder Gerald, stood tall beside her, his hands clasped behind his back. Though his hair was streaked with gray, there was nothing frail about him. His eyes were sharp and rested on her impatiently as though waiting for her to finish what she had started.
“I told you everything I could, Father,” Maya whispered, glancing nervously around the clearing. “I heard Alpha Alexander on the phone, and Beta Cole was right there beside him. The way he spoke… it wasn’t just pack matters. He sounded worried, more than I’ve ever heard him. Whatever it is, it isn’t just another ene
