The council chamber of the royal packhouse was a crucible of tension, its domed ceiling painted with lunar cycles casting long shadows over the oak table where the twelve alphas sat. The air crackled with the aftermath of Lilith’s powerful entrance, her indigo suit gown shimmering like a midnight sky, her red eyes blazing with the resolve of the priestess reborn. Marcus, watching from his seat, felt his heart swell with pride. The little girl he’d raised, shielding her from a world that feared her hybrid blood, now stood as a towering figure, her words weaving unity where Harley and Thorne had sown discord. He hadn’t failed his sister Olivia—Lilith was her legacy, a beacon of strength.
Alpha Rupert of the Crescent Pack rose first, his towering frame radiating resolve. “My elite warriors—t
