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

A collective hush fell over the room as I lifted the seven yellowed parchments from the box. The ancient blood runes drawn across their surfaces glowed with a faint, greasy red light, reacting to the proximity of Gideon’s Alpha aura.

"Seven parchments," I said, my v