Chapter 34: Trial by Fire
Dawn did not bring light, but a judgment. The great hall of Silverfang Keep was packed, a sea of tense, grim faces illuminated by the cold gray light filtering through the high windows. The air was thick with the scent of damp fur, anxiety, and a simmering, collective rage. Every wolf, from the highest-ranking warrior to the lowest kitchen scullion, had come to witness the fall of a once-favored daughter.
Lyra stood beside Kael at the head of the hall, on the raised dais that usually held only his throne. Today, a second, smaller chair had been placed for her. The symbolism was not lost on anyone. She was his Luna in truth, her place cemented not just by a bond, but by the respect she had earned in battle and strategy. She wore a simple gown of charcoal gray, the silver of her collar and the fierce amber of her eyes the only points of color. She was the calm at the center of the storm about to break.
