#Chapter 174: The Gala and the Fall

Richard The gala shimmered with ceremony and self-congratulation. Strings of lights laced the rafters above like constellations arranged with obsessive care, while banners in navy and silver hung from every wall, proclaiming UNITY AMONG WOLVES as if repetition could make it true. Everything was meticulous and polished, handcrafted for optics, shaped to please the Council, and built for performance. Even through the haze of champagne, I could see the stitching beneath it all. But the weight in my chest wouldn’t lift. The music was elegant, the people were loud, and under it all, I felt the air shift in wrong, small ways. We hadn’t even had twenty-four hours of peace. The vote was still warm. Yet the Pack elite stood shoulder to shoulder again, drinking to stability as if they hadn’t each wavered and threatened to bolt just days ago. Their smiles were brittle. Their laughter performed. They clinked glasses and leaned close and whispered promises they wouldn’t keep. They weren’t h