Verna nodded, scribbling another note. “We are finished. The Council will review. If they are satisfied, you may have her back by sundown.”
I glared at her through the blur. “If you don’t, I will burn this building down.”
She nodded, as if that was only right.
When they dragged me out, Bronc and Juliet on either side, I kept my eyes on the broken glass of the mirror. I could see Savannah there, still strapped to her chair, watching me with the same feral hunger in her eyes.
I knew we’d make it. Or we’d die trying.
They stuck us in a waiting room with no windows, no clock, and no idea how much time had passed. Juliet prowled the perimeter like a caged panther, high heels echoing with every step. Bronc sat rigid in a plastic chair, fists balled, his entire body one knottedmuscle of restraint. King Rafe worked the phone, murmuring into it in a low, measured cadence that radiated threat.
Me, I just stared at the carpet and tried not to explode.
Every ten minutes, a new guard checked in. Sometimes a wolf, sometimes a witch. None of them met my eyes. None of them stayed more than a minute.
Juliet finally stopped pacing, spun on her heel, and fixed the nearest guard with a glare that would have vaporized a lesser man. “Get me a Council rep. Now. I have rights, and I intend to exercise them.”
He looked confused, then left.
Bronc exhaled, slow and ragged. “You sure you want to do this here, Jules?”
She looked at him like he was a particularly dim lab rat. “If they think they can keep one of my pack from me, they’re wrong.”
Rafe covered the receiver, eyebrows raised. “They’re stonewalling, but if you push, it’ll make them nervous. Might even get us leverage.”
“Leverage isn’t what I want,” Juliet said, voice ice-edged. “I want Savannah. I want her now.”
The guard returned, trailed by a Council official: tall, brittle woman in a slate-gray suit, carrying a clipboard and an air of terminal impatience.
“Juliet Baucaum, Luna of Iron Valor?” she said, reading the name without looking up.
“That’s me,” Juliet said, arms crossed.
“You are aware that under Council code 7.11.3, you are subordinate to this office in all matters relating to—”
“Bullshit,” Juliet snapped. “Iron Valor is a free pack, recognized by the Southern King. My mate and I have jurisdiction over all members, wherever they are. That includes Savannah.”
The woman’s eyes flicked up, surprised. “This is a Council hearing, not a pack run.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Juliet snapped. “Pack law comes first. I am her Luna. You can’t keep her from me.”
Bronc backed her, voice a growl. “You want a war, you’ll get one.”
The councilwoman retreated. Juliet looked at Bronc, lips pressed so tight they went white. “They’re stalling.”
I could feel Savannah’s fear through the bond, a spike of cold adrenaline that left me breathless. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the urge to shift right there in the chair. My claws punched through the fabric of the armrest. I gripped harder, tearing it to shreds.
“She’s scared,” I said. “Terrified.”
Bronc tried to calm me, but it was no use. My body was changing—bones flexing, muscles bunching, fur prickling at my wrists and neck. Juliet knelt in front of me, hands on my face.
“Stay with me,” she whispered. “Just a little longer.”
I tried. I really did.
The door opened again, and this time, four guards entered, all armed. Two had silver batons. The air went metallic and hot.
“Don’t,” Bronc warned, but I was past hearing. The wolf in me wanted out.
