*Starblood Pack ---- High Council Chamber, Night*

Ryder stood at the head of the long stone table, every inch of his posture carved from authority. His golden eyes swept the gathered alphas and envoys he had summoned. Alpha Darius of Shadow Pack, tall and dark--eyed, his Beta Evren silent and watchful at his shoulder, Seer Veen representing Greenwood, her mantle still damp from the journey through rain, and two elders from Moonlight Pack... the first to answer Ryder's summons despite ...