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,"

The central hall of the Pack Celebration Building was so silent that the soft hiss of the overhead torch flames echoed off the white marble like drawn blades. Two hundred pack leaders, warrior captains, and clan elders stood frozen around the banquet tables, their