Two guards seized Kira the moment she stepped through the throne hall doors.
She did not fight them at first. She let them drag her forward, boots scraping against stone, until she stood before the throne where Elena sat watching with careful eyes. Logan stood near the front of the hall, his chest still tight with the strange familiarity that had gripped him since he first saw her at the gates.
"State your name and your business," Elena said. "You demanded an audience without invitation. That alone requires an explanation."
"My name is Kira," the woman said. "I have no pack, no lord, and no patience for court formalities. I am here because the Westwood blood has awakened, and someone in this palace needed to know before it is too late to matter."
The hall stirred at the words. Garrick
