We finally returned to the manor after everything ended. The council was broken. There was no more trials and no more threats. The moon had spoken through me, and the packs had accepted it. Gabriel and Paxton walked beside me the whole way home, close enough that I could feel their warmth. No one spoke much. We didn’t know what to say after everything we already said to each other.

The moment the heavy front doors closed behind us, the atmosphere changed. Everything felt put in place and ...