Elsewhere, the Montgomery lineage was suffocating under the same volatile clouds as Scarlett.

Bennett and Harrison were entirely consumed with the ritual of purging Hudson from the pack records, stripping him of his birthright and scent-mark. This left Charlotte to represent the disgraced household at the Great Recognition Banquet the Nixons had summoned for Avery. In truth, Charlotte had no desire to set paw in the Silver Ridge.

The howl of Avery’s elevation into the legendary Nixon bloodline had already vibrated through every valley in the territory. Disbelief had nearly choked Charlotte when the scouts first brought the news; she had questioned if her own ears were failing her. In...