Chapter 53

• Aria
• The lights dimmed slowly, plunging the vast hall into a calm hush as all heads turned to the raised stage. My breath caught in my throat when Alpha Magnus Blackthorn stepped forward, tall and commanding, wearing a dark suit that seemed to absorb the light. He was power personified. Standing just to his right, Kai looked like a shadow of that same authority, sharper, younger, and terrifyingly poised.
• Beta Adric Hale, who stood slightly below the alpha, his cold gaze sweeping the crowd with sharp precision. Ryder stood beside Kai on the opposite platform, his face as blank and unreadable as ever