/-Zara-/

The announcement came at sunset.

Draven and Maleek stood in the Great Hall before the assembled pack, and in their hands they held formal documentation—the ritual combat challenge, officially recorded and sealed with their signatures.

"I, Alpha Draven Khaid, do hereby challenge High Inquisitor Aldric Greystone to ritual combat," Draven read, his voice carrying the weight of centuries of tradition. "I challenge his authority, his findings, his character, and his fitness to hold ...