Chapter 20

• Seylan ran both hands over his face, feeling the drag of fatigue settle in. In a mere two days his life had become a tightrope walk between ecstasy and catastrophe. “You’re asking me to risk her life by accepting her, or risk her life by doing nothing,” he said hoarsely. “I can’t win here, Father. I can’t.” The last words were almost a broken plea.
• For a moment, Alpha Aldric’s hardened facade cracked. Luna Celeste noticed and gently touched her husband’s arm, as if to encourage him.
• Alpha Aldric took a slow breath and nodded. “Maybe… maybe not alone, you can’t,” he conceded. “Perhaps we need guidance beyond ourselves.” He glanced at Celeste, who gave him a knowing look.