Morning light spilled over the fortress, pale and muted against the scars of the fire. The pack gathered in uneasy clusters, murmurs flitting like restless crows.
Elias walked among them, shoulders squared though unease gnawed at his chest. He caught the glances—the way conversations halted when he passed. Doubt lingered heavy in the air, thicker than smoke.
“Beta.” The word stopped him cold.
Toren stepped out from the crowd, flanked by a few young wolves whose eyes gleamed with distrust. “Funny, isn’t it, how the fire started near your patrol routes? Almost like you knew it was coming.”
The wolves shifted, their murmurs rising again.
Elias’s jaw tightened. “Careful, Toren. Accusations without proof make you look desperate.”
Toren smirked. “Or maybe I’m the only one willing to speak
