Darien
They came in waves.
The first packs arrived with the cautious dignity of people entering unfamiliar territory. Alphas in formal dress, their lunas at their sides, their senior officers flanking them with the alert tension of guards who didn't yet trust the ground they walked on. I watched them take in the hall, the vaulted ceilings, the kingdom that had materialized from cursed earth, the lycan crest hanging from every wall. Some couldn't hide their awe. Others wore careful masks of indifference that told me more than any expression of wonder could.
I greeted each alpha by name. Shook hands. Held eye contact long enough to establish authority without issuing a challenge. Leah stood beside me, and I watched the way each arriving wolf looked at her. The curiosity. The wariness. The
