POV: Xavier

The morning sun rose over the Silver Moon pack, but it felt like a death sentence counting down. I stood in the Council chamber, surrounded by arguing voices, everyone shouting over each other about who should fight the vampires. My head pounded from lack of sleep, but my decision was already made.

"I volunteer as champion," I said loudly, cutting through the chaos. The room fell silent. Everyone turned to stare at me.

"Absolutely not," Alpha Celeste said immediately. "You're our only True Alpha. Losing you would be catastrophic for all wolf packs, not just Silver Moon."

"Then the Council should have thought about that before scheduling Thelma's...