Dawn came too fast.

I stood in the council arena, watching as spectators filled the stone seats that ringed the fighting pit. Every alpha within three territories had shown up for this. Some genuinely curious about whether our bond was real. Others just here for the spectacle of watching us get torn apart.

Darius stood beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. Through the bond, I felt his wolf prowling just under the surface. Ready.

"Remember the plan," he said quietly. "Stay ...