***Crystal POV***
The council chamber wasn’t grand, but its walls had seen generations of Bloodstone alphas hold court. Dustin stood near the head of the table, hands braced against the polished wood, posture rigid. The weight of the pack’s unrest pressed against his chest, though he refused to let it show.
Crystal sat a few seats down, posture deceptively calm, though her eyes flicked between Dustin, Bane, and Lizzy. She could feel Bree prowling beneath her skin, alert, restless. The room smelled faintly of tension and old wood—too small to contain everything unspoken between them.
Bane broke the silence first, his tone blunt.
“Katherine isn’t what she seems.”
Dustin’s jaw clenched. He’d expected this. “You’re accusing her without proof?”
Lizzy leaned forward, her voice sharper than
