LOGINThey dragged me into the narrow space between parked cars, where the darkness wrapped around us and hid what was happening.
“Take it easy,” the leader said, tightening his grip on my wrist as they pulled me away from the crowd. “There’s no need to make this hard.”
I tried to fight back, but facing three men by myself wasn’t really a fair match. The fancy cars made the perfect hiding spot, and everyone around us was too focused on getting ready for the big race to notice a woman being taken away in the shadows.
“Let me go!” I shouted, but the sound of loud engines drowned out my cries.
“Relax, sweetheart. We just want to get to know you better.” The second man moved behind me, blocking my way out. “We’ll show you how real gentlemen treat a lady.”
His hand started to move up my arm toward my chest, and a surge of anger rushed through me. I swung my elbow back as hard as I c
Calla’s POVThe Elders returned after twenty minutes of talking privately. Two more had decided not to be part of the judgment—one male Elder with dark hair and one female with striking violet eyes. Now only four Elders were left to judge me: the Chief Elder, an auburn-haired woman, a silver-haired man who had previously helped expose Harlow, and an older man with a long white beard who hadn’t spoken yet.With two fewer judges, I felt a little more hopeful. "We have looked over the evidence you provided," the Chief Elder said, her voice calm and even. "The Elders who stepped down did so to keep these proceedings fair. However, Miss Reyes—this Tribunal will not accept any more interruptions. Present your remaining evidence or accept judgment based on what has already been discussed."This was it. The moment I had both feared and anticipated."I want to show you something that directly contradicts Marcus's claim that my mother willingly got involved with pack matters and then betrayed
Calla’s POV The Chief Elder signaled for me to begin, and instantly, every person in that large room focused their attention on me. It felt overwhelming, like a heavy weight pressing down on me, much like being deep underwater. I took a deep breath to calm myself, just like I did before important presentations at work, even though those situations didn’t carry the risk of my life if I messed up my words. “Before I talk about the charges against me,” I stated clearly, letting my voice echo in the room, “I want to shed some light on who is making these claims and their motivations.” Marcus looked annoyed at my words. “The Tribunal doesn’t need explanations—” “The Tribunal will decide what it needs,” interrupted the Chief Elder smoothly. “Please, continue, Miss Reyes.” I carefully pulled out the folder containing our crucial evidence, treating it as if it was a powerful weapon. “Marcus Blackthorn has portrayed himself as a protector of the rules of our community, claiming he wan
Calla’s POV The Tribunal chamber stole my breath with its incredible size and ancient grandeur. We stood at the edge of a vast cavern that soared at least a hundred feet high, carved from solid rock and illuminated by eternal flames flickering in sconces placed neatly around the room. The ceiling was lost in darkness, but I could make out the faint shimmer of what looked like carved constellations in the firelight. At the far end of the chamber, seven thrones commanded attention, arranged in a semicircle on a raised platform that required climbing twenty stone steps to reach. The thrones appeared to be carved from single pieces of obsidian, polished to a reflective shine and inscribed with glowing golden symbols. And there, seated in those thrones, were the Seven Elders. They were not what I had expected. Rather than decrepit old werewolves, they appeared ageless—faces that could be thirty or three hundred years old, with eyes that
Calla’s POVThe journey to the Tribunal's location began as the sun set. We left our cabin in three vehicles—Kane, Luna, and I were in the lead car, followed by Jake and a few pack members in two SUVs behind us for support and as witnesses.“The entrance is in the downtown area,” Kane explained as we drove through more crowded streets. “It’s hidden beneath an old subway station that hasn’t been used for years.”“Of course it is,” I said with a hint of sarcasm. “Why would supernatural judges meet somewhere easy to find when they can choose creepy spots underground?”Luna chuckled from the front seat. “The place was there long before the subway was built. They actually built the station around the Tribunal chamber, not the other way around.”That made sense in a twisted way. Ancient supernatural courts wouldn’t change to fit human development—humans would end up building around them without realizing it.We parked in a space next to what looked like run-down buildings, in an area where
Calla’s POV The bonfire had faded to glowing embers, and one by one, the group began to head to their rooms, exchanging soft goodnights and knowing glances. Luna was the last to leave, stopping at the door to give me a look that seemed to say, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”—which, coming from her, left a lot to guess at. Kane and I found ourselves alone in the clearing, the night air cool against my skin and the stars shining brightly above, much more vividly than they did in the city. “We should probably get some sleep,” I said, even though neither of us moved toward the cabin. “We have a big day coming up, well, in two days. The day before the day I might die.” “You’re not going to die,” Kane insisted, but there was a hint of desperation in his voice, as if he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince me. “You can’t really know that,” I replied. “I know you,” he said, stepping closer. Suddenly, the air between us felt charged with an ene
Calla’s POV Luna decided we needed a break before we all went mad from stress and legal worries. "Just one night," she insisted. "One night to remember we’re pack, not just soldiers preparing for war.” So, there I was, standing next to a bonfire behind our cabin, surrounded by members of the Iron Fang club, who were starting to feel more like family than the intimidating strangers I had first met. Jake was sharing funny stories about our pack's mishaps. There was the time Torch had accidentally transformed into a werewolf during a bar fight and ended up wrecking three pool tables, or when Rico got stuck halfway through changing and spent hours looking like a bizarre mix of a werewolf and a human. “And then,” Jake continued, trying to hold back his laughter, “Diesel showed up with a camera, claiming it was for his ‘cryptid documentation project’—” Suddenly, the laughter faded as we collectively remembered Diesel, who wasn't with us that night. He had died saving me from a dan







