By the time I entered Blackthorn's great hall that afternoon, Elder Alaric was already standing in the place where I had once been accused. He had aged less than I wanted him to.

Same iron-gray hair. Same narrow mouth. Same expression of patient disappointment, as if e

Lucian did not sit down after saying he was wrong. The panel chair let the silence stay long enough to become uncomfortable. Then she asked, "What did choosing the pack mean in practical terms?"

Lucian looked at her.

"It meant I knew the evidence against Evelyn w

The panel did not ask Leo to enter the hall. I was grateful for that. Too many adults had already used his existence to justify what they wanted.

His rights could be decided without putting a three-year-old in front of a room full of wolves. The Riverbend panel member p