The meeting with the elders had been torture.

For three hours, I'd sat in that stuffy conference room while they droned on about pack alliances and territorial disputes. But all I could think about was Lily upstairs, probably overthinking every conversation she'd had today.

The worst part? My mother's voice cut through the discussion like a blade.

"We need to finalize the arrangement with the Crescent Pack," she'd said, her eyes fixed on me with that look I'd come to dread. ...