The doors opened, and the hall fell silent. Korra stepped forward, her chin held high despite her racing heart. She could feel every eye on her, assessing, judging, and questioning whether this rogue girl was truly worthy of their Alpha heir.

But then she saw Kael standing at the far end of the hall, and nothing else mattered.

He wore formal attire in the deep gray of the Moonhowl line, his dark hair swept back to reveal the mark she had left on his neck. When their eyes met, his face lit ...