36.

A chill ran through him, but he stood, refusing to let Lucian see his doubt. "You'll face the pack's judgment tonight," he said, turning away.

Ariana was waiting nearby, her arms crossed. "He's trying to get in your head," she said as Kaelen rejoined her.

"Maybe," he admitted. "But he's not wrong about what I felt. Something's still out there."

She nodded, her expression grim. "Then we need to be ready."

The day passed in a blur of preparations. The pack held a quiet ceremony for the fallen, their names spoken into the wind as the fire burned low. Taryn's voice cracked as she named her mentor, an older wolf named Rhea, and Kaelen rested a hand on her shoulder when she finished. "She'd be proud," he said softly.

Night fell, and the pack gathered to decide Lucian's fate. Gareth hauled him before the group, his ropes tight. Kaelen stood at the center, Ariana and Taryn at his sides. The pack's eyes were hard, their wounds still fresh.