Chapter 13 The Shadowfang Descent

• The silence in the Grand Hall after Marcus Thorne’s chilling decree was more deafening than any roar. Elara felt it, a cold, insidious weight pressing down on her, compounded by the frantic pulse of Liam’s fear through their unspoken bond, and the stark, opposing truths echoing from Lucian and Kael.
• The Alpha had not merely issued an order; he had set a trap, and Elara was the bait.
• Lucian, his face a mask of rigid control, immediately steered Elara away from the Council, his arm subtly guiding her. She felt his raw turmoil through their Moonbind – a tempest of protective fury battling the deep-seated loyalty to his father and his pack.