I didn't make it to the door.
"Miss Bennett." The Headmaster's voice stopped me mid-step. "I'm afraid you'll need to stay a moment longer."
Something in his tone made my stomach drop. Not the casual warning from before. This was formal. Official. The kind of voice people used when they were about to deliver bad news and couldn't sugarcoat it.
I turned back slowly. "Why?"
He didn't answer. Just moved to a side door I hadn't noticed before, one concealed behind a tapestry depicting some ancient pack victory. He knocked twice, a specific rhythm that felt rehearsed.
The door opened.
Three figures stepped through, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. They wore robes in deep burgundy, the color of old blood, with silver embroidery that caught the firelight. Council elders. I recognized the style from history lessons, though I'd never seen them in person before.
