KAEL
I stood on the raised platform of the council hall, watching the last of the elders, Alphas, and Lycans file out. Laughter and low murmurs drifted back as they disappeared through the arched doors. The Annual Moon Goddess Worshipping Ceremony was only weeks away, and I had just spent two hours drilling security protocols into their skulls.
I hated the ceremony.
Hated that it fell on the anniversary of my parents’ death. Hated the pageantry, the cost, the forced reverence. But tradition was iron, and this year Ashbourne hosted. Every pack on the continent would send delegates. One mistake and the Ferals, who had vanished as suddenly as they appeared, could return and turn the celebration into s*******r.
My grandfather lingered near the front row, deep in hushed conversation with El
