Chapter 34

• The council chamber was filled with muted whispers as Rita sat in her usual place, exuding an air of authority. The formal discussions of trade agreements and border disputes were a thin veil over the undercurrent of political scheming. Rita’s sharp eyes missed nothing as she surveyed the gathered leaders. Beneath her composed exterior, her mind churned with growing anxiety. She had recently received troubling news that Amara and Xander had embarked on a journey to locate a powerful artifact.
• The mere mention of the artifact made Rita’s blood run cold. She had long known of its existence, a relic hidden deep in the ancient territories, said to hold unimaginable power. If Amara and Xander succeeded in finding it, all the carefully laid plans she, Joshua, and Lucy had devised would be for nothing. Their ambitions of overthrowing the werewolf council and installing Joshua as the Supreme Alpha would crumble before the artifact’s might.
• Rita’s lips thinned as she leaned closer to her trusted aide, a shadowy figure who rarely left her side. “We cannot let them reach the artifact,” she hissed under her breath. “It would ruin everything.”