The courtyard buzzed with unease long before the council bell rang. Wolves gathered in clusters, their voices sharp, overlapping, rising in waves that carried across the stone square. The trial. The whispers of Roland. Bella’s golden fire. It all hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.

Bella stood at the edge of the balcony that overlooked the gathering, Alfred at her side. His hand rested on the railing, white-knuckled, his jaw set. He had faced wars, rival Alphas, even blood ...