By seven in the evening, the Pack Celebration Hall was transformed into a sea of glittering silver, white roses, and polished dark mahogany.

Over two hundred high-ranking pack members, clan elders, and warrior captains filled the long banquet tables beneath the mass

The doors of the Pack Celebration Hall swung inward, drowning the room in a wave of light and applause. Two hundred high-ranking pack members, clan elders, and warrior captains stood at their tables, their voices swelling to honor the Sterling bloodline.

I walked ont

A murmur ran through the assembly as Elder Alistair, the oldest living authority of the Sterling council, stepped down from his seat of honor. His weathered face was grim as he looked from my ghostly frame to the heavy iron ledger in Astrid's hands.

"Seraphina Sterling,"