Penelope's POV

The Inter-Pack Council chambers are packed when Mom and I arrive. Every seat is filled, people standing along the walls, tension so thick you could choke on it. I spotted Councilor Elena Frost at the head table, her white hair pulled back severely, her ice-blue eyes scanning the crowd.

"Stay close," Mom whispers, gripping my hand. "This could go either way."

I nod, my throat too tight to speak. Three weeks since Timothy and I completed the bond. Three weeks of hiding at Bloodfang ...