“A few more hours,” Killian said.
“Too long,” I muttered. “Light fading, let’s get there before sunset.” I looked behind me at the shifters. “Shift, we run the rest.”
Three backpacks took our clothes, and then we shifted. In our wolf form, we picked up the pace, pushing hard, none of us complaining. Leaves whipped past us, wind tearing through the narrow pass as the forest thinned. As we approached the outskirts of the land, where the Pack Council had pitched their chambers, we shifted back. Once we were dressed, I kept moving.
Killian fell into stride beside me. “They’ll have eyes on the road.”
“I’m hoping they do,” I said flatly.
He snorted. “Only you would say that.”
“They’re already watching; they’re not hiding.”
He hummed low, grudgingly agreeing.
We hit open ground—a wide strip of cracked earth leading toward the Council’s neutral zone. The scent markers were old but strong, the invisible line etched in magic so thin most wolves wouldn’t sense it. I did, and so did Diesel. The moment we crossed it, something shifted in the air.
It was as if a door had closed behind us. Not magic. Not a spell. Not even a seal closing us in. It felt more like intent. The Pack Council knew we were here.
Diesel had dropped back and changed back into his human form when we did, black jeans and nothing else.
“Don’t let anyone approach her,” I said, voice dropping into command. “Not another alpha, not even a messenger.”
Diesel nodded. “They won’t get close.”
“No, they won’t,” Killian growled. “To either of you.”
The Pack Council hall appeared in the distance—massive canvas tent, torches burning outside, banners with the crescent and claw symbol snapping in the wind.
It looked like a shrine. It felt like a trap.
Rowen stiffened beside me. “They’re already waiting?”
“They can wait,” I muttered. We slowed down just a little, enough to gather ourselves. Killian moved ahead, giving a short, sharp call to signal our presence. Formal. Not really necessary, but he wanted to warn them we weren’t sneaking or hiding.
I looked at Rowen. She lifted her chin, calm and composed, wolf shining in her eyes. My chest tightened with emotion. She was so beautiful.
Mine.
“You ready?” I asked.
“More than they are,” she said, her voice sure and confident.
A rough laugh broke out of me before I could stop it. “Infuriating woman.”
“Stubborn man.”
“Diesel?”
“With my life, Alpha.”
We advanced. The Pack Council’s guards emerged from the shadows, eight of them, all looking ready to cut us down where we stood. Killian shot me a look. I didn’t slow down. If they wanted a display, they’d get one. I walked straight into their path, Rowen half a step behind me, my pack at my back, and not one part of me softened.
“Move.” My Will rode my voice. I was not their alpha, but I was still an alpha, and I wasn’t in the mood for posturing fucking sycophants.
The corridor to the main chamber smelled like I remembered. Dust, ink, and a sourness of something rotten. It put me in a foul mood immediately.
Killian walked half a step behind me. I didn’t need anyone in front of me when I walked in. This wasn’t a ceremony. Our escort of six flanked us, spreading out behind Rowen in a protective arc, Diesel in step beside her. I knew what it looked like. We were showing the Council that we weren’t here to bow.
