#Chapter 125: A Grand Rite

Elroy POV I confessed to myself I had gotten to the point where I really dreaded the idea of ceremonies. I recognized the need for such things, of course. If you wanted to send out a message to thousands of wolves at once, nothing did it better than a well-documented ceremony, and if you wanted to bring a pack together, nothing did it better than a traditional rite. But the standing around, the effort of keeping the right expressions on my face, and the tedium of the rituals made it all feel like such a colossal waste of time. It was especially true now, as I tasted my bitter distrust of Ravencrest on my tongue and so much around me seemed to be made of schemes within schemes. Which is why I was so pleased when Olivia suggested we do this next traditional rite in our fur. I was more than pleased, actually. I was deeply impressed. I could tell Claudia was surprised by her daughter’s insight as well. All of us stood as proud wolves in the Palace courtyard, but now as befit us t