Eleanor finally stopped for a breath, just as the orange fingers of the gradually rising sun started to stretch over the horizons. It lit up the lycan palace, and her breath hitched at what she would see there. The security at the borders had been extra tight, and she had to prove herself to be weaponless and a true lycan before they let her in.

The trip was short to the front of the palace, and the scene chilled her bones. Most of the lycans were on their knees in front of the palace, hands clasped together. Some wailed, some prayed, and a few just stayed there, grim expressions on...