Chapter 144

Caleb POV

The council chamber was already buzzing when I stepped inside.

Voices fell silent the moment the doors closed behind me. Every pair of eyes turned my way—elders stiff with unease, warriors tense, Alpha Summer standing near the far end with his arms crossed, his expression carefully neutral. My grandfather sat at the head of the table, fingers steepled, gaze sharp and calculating.

Good. Let them see me.

I didn’t bow. I didn’t wait to be invited.

I took my place ...