Taryn
The council chamber was smaller than I remembered. Maybe it was the stone walls. Maybe it was the weight of what we were trying to do.
Caz stood beside me, fingers brushing mine. Jax stood behind Gavin’s chair, a quiet sentry. Gavin sat hunched over, wrists bound with silver-threaded cuffs, face pale but eyes clear. He was fighting to stay present.
Across from us sat six members of the Elder Council, cloaked in muted robes, their faces carved from stone. And at the center, Evelyn, sharp-eyed and stiff-backed.
“This hearing,” she said, her voice like ice cracking over a lake, “has been called to determine the fate of Gavin Thompson, former heir of the Half Moon Pack, now rogue. He stands accused of conspiracy against an Alpha, attempted mating without consent, and treason against
