Chapter 23: Her Terms at the Stone

The Midwinter moon came up over the ridge, huge and gold, and the whole pack stood in the snow and watched it.

I stood beside Conall at the foot of the stone, and I could feel him through the bond.

He was terrified.

I felt that, and I felt that he was holding still anyway.

Otis stood at the edge of the ring with a hand on each boy's shoulder.

The white-braided elder climbed to the top of the rock.

"It is Midwinter.

"The Alpha's seat has no Luna, as the council set.

"Conall Harlan, who do you name?"

A hundred and fifty wolves went quiet.

I knew what they expected.

They expected him to say my name, loud, and watch me nod.

"No one," Conall said.

The ring rustled.

"I name no one.

"A Luna isn't a thing I get to hand out.

"If a woman wants that seat, she'll say so with her own mouth, and I'll stand where she tells me."

He took a step back from the stone and left the foot of it empty.

I climbed the three steps.

I had done it once before, on the worst night of my life, to put something down.

This time the rock was warm under my boots.

The elder held out her palm with the pendant on it, the flat silver moon on its cord.

"I'll take it from the stone," I said.

She lowered it to the rock and stepped back.

I picked it up.

The cord was cold in my hand.

"My name is Catriona Sedley," I said.

"I laid this down in front of you once because I was done.

"I'm picking it up because I'm not."

Nobody moved.

"I'm taking the seat with terms.

"If the pack won't hold them, it can have somebody else."

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