Twelve elders sat in a semicircle in the council chamber.
Torches flickered along the arched walls, casting long shadows.
Each elder wore the crest of their bloodline, and each had already made up their mind.
Fin sat higher than the rest at the center. Jax sat at his right and Cael was on his left.
The oldest of the council, Elder Rhun, slammed the bottom of his cane against the floor. "You're endangering a hundred-year peace accord for a girl who isn't even a member of this pack!"
Fin kept his voice even. "She was attacked and abducted on my land by an armed force without declaration or warning."
Elder Kaelith snorted. "Ashbane made no formal claim. You're the one harboring their blood."
"She's not Ashbane blood," fin said sharply, "and even if she were, that doesn't give them the
