The ballroom was a sea of chaos. Some wolves were trying to flee through the side exits, only to find the shadows themselves blocking the doors, weaving into solid walls of darkness. Silas remained at the edge of the circle, his arms crossed, watching me with a look of terrifying, predatory pride.
"The challenge is complete, Elara," he said, his baritone voice cutting through the whimpering. "The Alpha is broken. The pack is yours by right of conquest. What is your command? Shall we burn the house down with them inside?"
I looked at Fenris, who had shifted back into a naked, shivering man on the floor, his pride stripped away. I looked at Sarah, who was still trying to scrape frosting off her dress, her eyes darting around like a trapped rat.
"I don't want this pack," I announced. A col
