Kelly Thompson POV

The role of unifier was mine to embrace, a mantle passed through the ages, and now it settled upon my shoulders with an immutable truth. The werewolf packs, fractured by old wounds and distrust, would look to me to mend what had been torn asunder. It was a task both monumental and sacred-a path fraught with peril, yet luminous with potential.

"Kelly." Jason's voice, firm as the earth beneath our feet, cut through the fog of my apprehension. His hand, warm and steady, rested ...