The night air was thick with the scent of pine and burning pitch. At the main gates of the Black Mountain Estate, seven men stood in a semi-circle. These were the Alphas of the surrounding smaller packs, men who had grown fat and wealthy under the Valerius trade deals. They wore traditional ceremonial robes, their faces painted with the red clay of a formal challenge.
I stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard, Killian half a step behind me. The crowd of pack members gathered below fell into a hush, their eyes darting between me and the angry men at the gate.
"Elara Vance!" The eldest of the seven, a man named Alpha Garrow, shouted. His voice was like grinding stones. "You stand accused of the unlawful seizure of a Great Pack, the use of forbidden Northern magic, and the ki
