Lucien pov

“Gather everyone. No exceptions.”

The words left my mouth before I sat down. Matteo hesitated at the door.

“All ranks?” he asked.

“All ranks,” I said. “If this breaks us, it breaks us in the open.”

By the time I stepped onto the stone platform at the center of the grounds, Bloodmoon was already there. Warriors lined the outer ring. Healers stood together near the west pillars. Elders gathered close to the front, their faces tight. Families filled the spaces between, ...