The First Crack
"You sure about this?" Jonas asked, keeping his voice low.
Adrian didn’t look at him. His gaze was fixed ahead, his jaw set. "I’ve never been surer of anything."
They stood in the centre of the pack's large, open meeting hall with its walls lined by torches. It wasn't a meeting but a full assembly, which meant that everyone who was anyone was present, awaiting the former Alpha to have his say.
Alice sat on the far side of the room, her posture composed, but Adrian knew better. He saw the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers clenched subtly at her sides. She knew something was coming.
Adrian stepped forward, and the room fell silent.
"I won't waste anyone's time," he began, his voice sure, carrying through the hall. "For too long, I let myself be blinded by th
