The Continental Council chambers felt different this time.
Colder. More hostile. The air thick with anticipation and barely concealed malice.
I walked in flanked by Caden and Ezra, with Morgan, Thorne, and Damon following. Every eye in the packed hall tracked our movement. I recognized some faces from the last summit—allies who nodded support, enemies who smiled like predators scenting blood.
Alpha Gregory sat in the front row of the complainants' section. He was older than I'd expected, maybe seventy, with silver hair and eyes that had seen decades of political maneuvering. When our gazes met, he didn't look away. Just studied me like I was a problem to be solved.
Or eliminated.
Elder Kaius presided again, but this time he was flanked by six other Council members—the ones who hadn't
