Torches flared along the grand amphitheater’s outer walls, casting flickering shadows over marble pillars carved with wolf and moon motifs. The air thrummed with anticipation as nobles and diplomats—wolf lords in furs, human envoys in silks—gathered beneath crimson banners. Tonight was the Blood Moon Feast, the one night each cycle when Fenris would host every sovereign pack and human kingdom under a single sky.
Sera Hudson stood off to the side near the lavabowl fountains, her silver-thread bindings hidden beneath a hooded cloak. She watched the guests drift between tables draped in crimson and silver: platters of spiced venison, braised cub fawn, and chalices of elderflower mead. Musicians tuned string and horn, preparing a blood-tide dirge to herald the feast’s opening.