Evelina's return to the Serene Pack had sparked a wildfire of reactions. As she stood before the gathering crowd, flanked by Alden and their daughters, a mixture of emotions played out across the faces of her former packmates.

Hushed whispers rippled through the assembly. "Isn't that Evelina Wren?"

"The one who was accused of poisoning the alpha?"

"I thought she'd fled forever. What is she doing back?"

Evelina lifted her chin, her eyes scanning the crowd with a steely resolve. She would not be cowed by their wariness or hostility.

A burly wolf stepped forward, his hackles raised. "You've got some nerve showing your face here again after what you...