ora

Fenton was immediately swarmed by a phalanx of grim-faced elders and agit

cutting through the noise with absolute authority. The sheer f

his gaze finding me where I

ommand, delivered with the same impersonal tone he'd used to quiet his eld

transaction, and the paperwork was now signed. The

like walking a gauntlet. Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed my every move, their gazes clinging like burrs. I

d of fury, her eyes promising retribution. If looks could

easured, deliberate. I was their Luna now. I would not show

through manicured gardens and stone courtyards, finally arriving at

wung open, and I w

fireplace, cold and empty, sat on another. Everything was ruthlessly neat, organized with military precision. It was a den, not a

and beadwork felt like an oppressive weight, and shedding it was a relief. They

stiff and awkward-eyes downcast, hands trembling slightly. They wer

t had opened between us in the span of a few ho

softer than I intended. "I'd

rrowed with genuine concern.

g smile. "I'm fine, Willa. B

she bowed her head and left, cl

hat descended

d the heart of the Black Forest territory. Lights twinkled in the houses below,

wn-a disposable piece

tle's keep. I was the m

r machine, assessing threats and calculating odds. This wasn't a fai

reflection a pale ghost in the dark gla

downfall. The people of this pack, the ones staring

saw me as a tool. A solution t

ze ha

," I whispered to th

w eyes-not as a bride in her chamber, but as a general inspecting a new command

fear. My mind was consumed with strategy. Our alli

fied. And it had t