(GRIFFIN)
"Order." Elder Thorne raps his knuckles against the ancient oak table. "We will maintain order in this council."
It has been a week since I returned, and my brother has been able to hold off the noble families the whole time. But not any longer.
The murmuring around the table subsides gradually. Seven faces turn toward me, each bearing the weight of centuries of noble lineage. The heads of the seven noble families have convened to discuss my return and what it means for the leadership of the Human Wolf Kingdom.
Elder Thorne, with his silver hair and piercing blue eyes, sits directly across from me. To his left is Elder Blackwood, her face a map of wrinkles that can't hide her sharp intellect. Beside her sits Elder Monroe, whose perpetual scowl has intimidated generations of young wolves. The others, Elders Vane, Howlett, and Lyall, fill out the circle, each watching me with varying degrees of skepticism and curiosity.
