Five days to the hearing.

I ran the testimony preparation alone in the training yard at dawn, my breath fogging in the cold air. The sun hadn't risen yet, the sky still grey and uncertain. I practiced answers to the hardest questions—the ones about specific pack events, bloodline ceremonies, family members I'd fabricated.

I had done this before. I built this identity from scratch. I could rebuild the parts the council was targeting.

I just needed to not shake while I did it.

"Name."

"Val ...