Chapter 125Xavier's POV
The throne room was already buzzing when I entered. Elders lined both sides of the chamber, their white and silver robes pooling around them like storm clouds. The carved wolves above the dais seemed to glare down, their fangs catching the torchlight.
The heavy doors slammed shut behind me, and silence fell.
"Ivan has crossed the line. Insolence!" Elder Marlow's voice cracked like a whip. He slammed his cane against the marble floor. "Absolute insolence! Attacking the Red Moon pack without the council's sanction?" His withered hand trembled, but his eyes were sharp. "Have you lost what little sense you possess, Ivan?"
Ivan stood at the center of the chamber, his shoulders squared, his chin raised like a king addressing peasants instead of leaders of our pack.
"I don't need permission to defend what is mine," he snapped.
