The weight of the Alpha Council’s gaze bore down on me, colder than the wind that howled through the stone walls of the council chamber. My heart thudded against my ribcage as I stood beside Ryker, the tension between us thick enough to suffocate.
Kael, a rogue werewolf who had once been my father’s right-hand man, had come and gone, his warning still fresh in my mind. The rebellion was coming for us. They would use me to kill Ryker, and if I didn’t make a choice soon, I’d be forced into a war that could destroy everything we had built. But standing here now, facing the council, it felt as though the future was slipping through my fingers, and I was powerless to stop it.
Ryker’s hand brushed mine, the warmth of his touch grounding me as we prepared to face the council’s verdict. I could
