Chapter 19: The Howling Court

The air in the Sunstone stronghold shifted after Wesley's retreat. The polished quartz and warm gold that once seemed like emblems of safety now felt like the gilded bars of a cage Theron was all too pleased to have her in. His solicitousness was a constant, gentle pressure, a reminder of the debt he claimed she owed. 「He circles like a wolf waiting for a wound to weaken its prey,」 Alicia murmured, restless within Emilia. 「His protection is not a shield; it is a collar. We must find a pack that sees us as an ally, not an asset.」 Emilia knew her wolf was right. Remaining here meant trading one form of submission for another, more elegant one. The key to her freedom lay not in a single Alpha's goodwill, but in the complex web of pack politics. And there was only one place where that web was woven: the Howling Court, the ancient, neutral ground where the most powerful Alphas, including the unofficial "King" of the Alphas, convened. When she broached