The grand hall of the Sky Wolves was a cathedral carved for gods.
Light poured through tall windows set with glass so clear it looked like water, scattering across polished floors and turning every detail into a display of wealth. Columns rose high into the rafters, each etched with the images of wolves mid-hunt, their snarling mouths and gleaming fangs larger than life. A chandelier of crystal and gold hung above, glittering like captured starlight.
Yvonne felt every eye as the smaller clans filed into the room, her clan among them. She hated the feeling. She had been looked at before, dismissed, judged, whispered about, but here the weight of their stares pressed against her chest like a stone. The Sky Wolves didn't bother to hide their disdain.
She forced her chin higher. Let them look. Let them see she was not afraid.
Yurre shifted beside her, shoulders squared, his hand brushing hers in a subtle warning. Be careful. Don't make a scene.
Maya, at her other side, muttered softly, "It's like walking into the mouth of a beast."
She wasn't wrong.
At the far end of the hall, a line of Sky Wolves stood elevated on a dais. Warriors and council members, all dressed in black and silver, the colors of storm clouds. But it was the one at the center who held Yvonne's attention.
Him.
Lux.
The man she had argued with in the courtyard only hours ago. The man she had brushed off without realizing who he was. Now, in full view of his people, he seemed even taller, even sharper, a presence that filled the room as if he were not flesh but storm itself.
And his eyes were on her.
Not a glance, not a flicker of recognition soon dismissed, but a steady, unblinking stare that pinned her where she stood. Her mouth went dry, though she refused to let it show.
"You're pale," Maya whispered, elbowing her gently.
"I'm fine," Yvonne said, her voice clipped.
But her mind churned. Did he remember her? Of course he did. He had looked at her as if she had committed an offense worth noting. Maybe it was. Maybe in this city, speaking to the Alpha as though he were any other man was an insult worthy of punishment.
She clenched her fists. If it was, then let them punish her. She would not bow.
The hall quieted as an elder stepped forward. His beard was white, his robes heavy with embroidery that glittered like frost. His voice rang clear.
"Tonight, we welcome the clans who have gathered at the Alpha's call. Each of you has sworn loyalty to the Sky Wolves, and each of you has proven your strength in your own lands. But here, strength must be tested. The Choosing begins tomorrow at dawn."
A ripple went through the crowd. Yvonne felt it in the air, the mix of excitement and fear. She knew what the Choosing meant—contests of skill, of endurance, of wit. Trials designed not only to measure the worth of other clans but to remind them that the Sky Wolves held the highest ground.
Her brother's jaw tightened. Maya shifted uneasily.
Yvonne kept her gaze steady.
The elder stepped aside, and Lux himself moved forward. The room seemed to lean with him, drawn by the gravity of his presence. His voice, when it came, was quiet yet carried to every corner of the hall.
"You have come here seeking favor. You will earn it, or you will leave with nothing."
His words were sharp, without flourish. The hall hung on each one.
Then his gaze cut back to Yvonne, deliberate and slow, and for a heartbeat the rest of the hall seemed to blur away.
Her pulse quickened, though she refused to look away. She met his stare with the full force of her own, her chin raised in defiance. If he wanted submission, he would not find it here.
Lux's expression did not change, but there was something in his eyes, the faintest flicker-interest, amusement, perhaps even a challenge.
"Rest tonight," he said, breaking the moment. "Tomorrow, you prove yourselves."
The gathering ended with the clang of staff against stone, and the clans began to disperse. Voices rose again, but Yvonne hardly heard them. She could still feel his gaze like a weight on her skin.
Maya tugged her sleeve. "Yvonne. Don't stare at him."
"I'm not," she lied.
Her brother's voice was low at her ear. "Whatever that was, end it now. You can't afford to draw his attention."
Yvonne forced herself to nod, but her thoughts betrayed her. She hadn't drawn his attention. He had given it freely.
And she wasn't sure whether that made her angry, or afraid.