***Bane’s POV***
The courtyard buzzed with morning activity—young wolves sparring, omegas carrying baskets of fresh bread from the kitchens, guards shifting posts along the edges. But Bane’s focus wasn’t on any of it.
It was on Katherine.
She moved through the crowd like smoke, her smile soft, her touch light as she greeted a cluster of pack mothers. To anyone else, she looked radiant—warm, approachable, the perfect Luna-to-be. But Bane saw what others missed. The stiffness in her shoulders. The way her fingers lingered a beat too long over the pouch at her hip. The faint flicker in her gaze, sharp and cold, when she thought no one was looking.
“She’s planning something,” Bane muttered, his jaw tight.
Beside him, Lizzy folded her arms, following his line of sight. “You’ve thought tha
