The crimson moon hung low in the sky, casting a bleeding light over the towering cliffs that guarded the eastern edge of the Shadowfang territory. Below, the river ran red, not with blood, but with the reflection of the celestial omen that marked an ancient and seldom-seen event: the Blood Moon. It was an omen of change, of reckoning, and for the Alphas and Elders who had gathered that night, it meant war or peace—or both.
Kaelin stood atop the ridge, the wind tangling her black curls around her face as her golden eyes scanned the distant assembly. Her mate bond with Theron pulsed in her chest, warm and anchoring, but tonight, she had chosen to face this moment alone. It was her voice that had brokered the meeting. Her truth that had forced secrets into the open.
Behind her, the warriors
