Lawrence’s POV

Standing at the head of the long, oak table, I felt the weight of the council room pressing down on me and the elders' eyes staring into my back. Tension, the kind that crackles before a storm, was heavy in the air. I had practiced my words and prepared for this confrontation, but now, in the middle of it all, I was struggling to maintain my composure.

"Lawrence," said Alpha Einstein in a chilly, accusatory voice that cut through the quiet. "You've gone too far."

I was ...