Lola's POV

Elder Mara found me the next morning.

I was sitting alone in the small garden at the back of the pack house, drinking tea and staring at nothing in particular. My mind was still moving through everything that had happened, replaying pieces of it the way you do when something large has shifted, and your brain hasn't fully caught up yet.

I heard footsteps on the stone path and looked up. Elder Mara was one of the oldest members of the council, a small woman with careful eyes and grey ...