#Chapter 52: Fractures and Warnings

We stumbled back into the Pack House just as dawn lit the windows, exhausted and disheveled. Richard scrolled through his phone, frowning deeply, realizing for the first time that his messages were full of council summons and demands. He looked genuinely baffled and muttered under his breath, cursing at himself for missing them. Nathan stood in the doorway, arms folded tight, eyes like daggers. "Emergency council meeting. Now," Nathan snapped, voice sharp. "If you'd bothered to check your messages you'd know they called it an hour ago." Richard flinched, looking briefly ashamed before pushing past me, not meeting my eyes. We hurried down the hall in tense silence. My boots scuffed the floor. I could hear my own breath. Neither of us spoke, but our shoulders brushed once in the narrow corridor and we both jerked away like burned. The council chamber was buzzing, alive with venom. As soon as we entered, the hush fell, a dangerous, predatory silence. Then the whispering starte