The scepter was heavy in my hand.
Nora had held it for thirty years. It had been in my grip for only three days.
"Severin, by the laws of the Bonehowl Pack, anyone who steals and misuses a sacred treasure of the pack shall be stripped of their wolf bloodline, cast out of the territory, and forbidden from ever setting foot on pack lands again."
The color drained from his face.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
I stepped down from the altar. Raine and Kris flanked me on either side. Behind us, more than a dozen elders fanned out and closed in around Severin.
He got to his feet. His eyes swept across their faces one by one, searching for someone, anyone, who might speak for him.
No one. Not a single one.
Severin shouted, "Have you all lost your minds? I am Nora's birth son. I am th
