Chapter 43

• The tension that had clung to the cabin walls since my abduction evaporated, replaced by the chaotic, overwhelming warmth of a pack dynamic I had never dared to dream of.
• The Luna—whose name was Elena—immediately declared that my rescue and the utter humiliation of the Bloodmoon pack called for a proper celebration. Within an hour, the rustic kitchen was filled with the clinking of heavy ceramic mugs, the rich scent of roasting meat, and the booming laughter of an Alpha who clearly took immense joy in the fact that his sons had completely upended pack tradition.
• "So," Alpha Julian said, leaning back against the wooden counter with a mug of black coffee in hand, his grey eyes gleaming with amusement as he watched Ryder slice a massive loaf of artisan bread. "Arthur Green tried to use an ancestral branding iron in a damp basement? Sounds like a desperate man realizing his entire political leverage just walked out the door."