The skies above the White Fang Pack were alight with radiance as the moon neared the height of its fullness. The heavens themselves lacked any cloud to mar the divine view; the stars throbbed to the beat of the heartbeat of the ritual. Crystal lanterns floated in mid-air, held aloft by centuries-old magic, and casting silver-gray light upon the ceremonial lake that was situated in the centre of the palace grounds.

The dais—a curved semicircle of light-colored stone—rose up out of the lake ...