The hall settled slowly after the wine break, like a wounded animal deciding whether to bare its teeth again or lie still. Chairs scraped stone. The murmurs did not stop; they only lowered, thick with suspicion and unfinished thoughts.
I returned to my seat beside Clay, my face composed, my heart anything but. I could feel the weight of the room pressing against my skin. Every Alpha, every Elder, every warrior present sensed that the meeting had shifted. What had been a strategy meeting had turned into a personal ego and power struggle. That made the atmosphere a dangerous one.
Elder Torin raised his staff once. The sound echoed, sharp and final.
“The council reconvenes.”
Silence followed. Not peace, but I would rather say an expectation. I knew we had to move from the power tussle to
