Astella's POV

The morning sun threw long shadows over the compound, and I took up position at the window where Ryan's chambers had been, mine now. The burden of leadership hung from around my neck like a physical weight, though I tried not to show it. It had been three days since the exile when the pack was starting to look to me for questions I wasn’t sure if I could answer.

The stench of Ryan was still in the chamber — faint and weak, but here nonetheless as a reminder of the darkness that had until recently governed this place. I had contemplated relocating to other quarters, but something...