Lola’s POV

The moon bathed the sacred courtyard in silver as I stood still, every breath tight with anticipation. The stones that lined the circle had stood since the beginning of our kind, carved with markings too ancient for translation. They were said to speak only when the Moonspawn approached.

Behind me, the crowd was silent. The entire pack had gathered for this. A ceremony unlike any other.

My mother, Eleanora, stood near the front, her arms folded, her face glowing with pride and a deep, fierce calm. Beside her, Gannon’s expression was hard to read, protective, firm, but there was something else in his eyes too. A glint of...