The council chamber had never felt this crowded.
Torches burned along the stone walls, their flames casting restless shadows over the gathered wolves. The room that once hosted quiet strategy meetings now pulsed with tension, whispers, anger, and the heavy presence of an entire pack demanding justice.
Word had spread quickly.
Serena Moretti had betrayed them.
Elara stood near the back of the chamber, the thick wooden doors closed behind her. Wolves lined the curved walls from floor to balcony. Guards stood at every archway, rifles slung across their shoulders, eyes sharp.
The air smelled of smoke, sweat, and old stone.
At the center of the room the council floor had been cleared.
Serena knelt there.
Her wrists were still bound behind her back, but her posture remained straight, proud, almost regal despite the dirt on her dress and the bruises forming on her cheek.
She looked around the chamber as if she still belonged here.
Some wolves glared at her with open hatred.
