Chapter 146

• Dane
• The Alpha's court was a crucible of shadow and torchlight, the air thick with wax and treachery as I sat, Lusia warm on my lap, her shift whispering against my thigh. The council gaped, their hands still aloft, shuddering in the smoky haze after naming Thane Thomas, his ring burning in my pocket like coal.
• The chair was incriminating, yet before I barked out orders, the door slammed open, and there he was: Thane Thomas, striding in with a swagger that grated on my nerves, jaw offset by the scar, pale eyes glinting like a snake's.