Chapter 104

Maeve’s POV

I sat in the council chamber with Dorian and several venerable elders from the village pack, gathered here at the far northern boundary of our territory. The air was heavy and still, broken only by the steady tapping of my padded fingers against the polished surface of the round table. I could hear nothing else. All morning, I’d tried desperately to wrench my thoughts away from Draven’s words, but they pursued me relentlessly. His message echoed in my mind, fueling a growing rage I could neither understand nor quell.

Why would he still want Thea here, after everything she’d done? I’d assumed he’d be overjoyed to see her expelled from the pack. My mind raced through every possible explanation for his strange insistence that I keep her around a little longer. None of them made sense.

A sharp call of my name jolted me back to the present. I turned toward Dorian, who sat just a few seats down. His green eyes—always so attentive—were fixed on me, conc