Chapter 85

• Alera's Pov
• The sun had barely set, and the sky was smeared with pink and gold streaks as I stood near the grand hallway leading to the Lycan Palace's receiving chambers. My fingers fidgeted at the seam of my gown as I watched the arriving delegates. I had hoped, begged even, to keep my distance—to avoid the thick pull of the mate bond, but it clung to me like a second skin, always pulsing whenever Kael was near. And the worst part? He wasn’t even around right now, yet my chest still burned with his absence.
• The clans were arriving—Ironclaw, Bloo, and Ashfang, the three most dominant outside Kael’s territory. They came in with their regal entourages, their scents mixing with the dusk air like a heady brew of power and tension. The council meeting was scheduled for tomorrow, but tradition had it that they were to be formally welcomed today. And lucky me, I was tasked to receive them. I sighed.