The silence that followed my confession didn't last three seconds.
It was replaced by a wave of pure, chaotic noise. Gasps of horror collided with snarled curses. Dozens of pairs of eyes—many already flashing yellow and amber with shifting wolf-rage—locked onto me.
"Monster!" a woman from the back shrieked, clutching her child closer.
"The Council succeeded!" Garret roared, his face contorting in a mask of fury. The elder warrior didn't hesitate. He reached down and ripped the heavy, twin iron axes from his belt. "They sent an abomination to destroy us from within! Kill the Hollow!"
The cry was picked up by a dozen other warriors. Weapons were drawn in a chorus of metallic shivers. The circle began to close in on me, driven by the most primitive, unstoppable force in nature: fear.
"Ba
