23

Never in his lifetime did Hadrius think he would ever stand before his Alpha, Luna and council members with a sickly human in his arms.

The council hall is a large dome-shaped building with rows of seated members that form a half-circle, and at the centre lies a raised platform.

Before him sit six judges and between the judges lies the Alpha and his pregnant Luna, whose gazes linger on him, not once lowering to the human.

On numerous occasions, Hadrius had participated in the judging council, usually overhearing martial cases and those that required the death penalty as a deciding factor.

Not once did he presume himself to be a Lycan that would be summoned before them; like a specimen, he stands beneath their scrutinizing, prodding gazes that regard him with an air of speculation. Some noses wrinkle in blatant revulsion at the sight of the mortal, and their saline stench of adventure.

Despite his significantly old age, the Alpha looks no older than