Chapter 80

Spring arrived with the kind of dramatic transformation that always felt miraculous after months of winter cold. Snow melted into rushing streams, buds appeared on bare branches, and the entire territory seemed to exhale after holding its breath through the frozen months.

The Birchwood intervention was scheduled for early spring, giving the traveling party time to reach the disputed territory before the succession crisis devolved into open civil war. Arianna would lead Ravenwood's delegation personally—a statement that this mattered enough for the Alpha's direct involvement.

"Are you sure about this?" Ruth asked the night before departure. "Inserting yourself into another pack's succession could create enemies regardless of how...