Chapter 148

Theo's POV The Great Hall of the Werewolf Court had been constructed to inspire awe and demand respect, its vaulted ceilings rising into shadows that seemed to hold the weight of centuries of tradition. I stood at the carved podium that faced the curved bench where the Elders sat in positions that reflected their status as the ultimate arbiters of werewolf law. These were not young Alphas driven by ambition or territorial disputes—these were the eldest men from different packs across the continent, traditional leaders whose gray hair and weathered faces spoke of decades spent navigating the complex politics that kept our species unified despite natural territorial instincts. Elder Castellanos, the most senior member of the court, presided from the center position with the kind of quiet authority that came from having resolved conflicts between packs for over fifty years. His dark eyes, still sharp despite his advanced age, fixed on me with the patient attention that suggested he unders