Chapter 24: Luna

"You waited," I said.

"You told me to."

"I tell you a lot of things."

"I've been writing them down." He nearly smiled. "Some of them are very specific."

The pup woke and made a small cross noise.

His eyes went to her, and stayed.

"I'm going to the hall now," I said. "I'm going in alone."

"I know."

"You'll come in after me. Not beside me. After."

"After," Duncan said. "Yes."

I took my hand off the stone.

The hall stood at the end of the main street, with its doors open and the evening light coming through.

I had walked up those steps a hundred times on my husband's arm.

The Luna always enters on her Alpha's arm, and that is the oldest rule in the book.

I climbed them with my daughter on my chest and my own two hands empty.

The sound inside stopped.

Four hundred wolves rose to their feet at once.

It was not the wave of heads at the Winter Ball.

It was a sound like a field standing up.

I walked down the middle of the hall.

The old women of the council sat at their table with the black book open.

Clint stood beside the empty Alpha's chair in his flannel jacket, looking as though he'd been sentenced to it.

Orson leaned on the back wall with his arms folded, doing a poor job of looking as if he weren't moved.

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