The territory was filled with condemnation. If Selene hadn't intervened, his account would have been stripped and he'd have faced severe penalty oaths.

I didn't see her again until seven days later.

The moment she laid eyes on me, disappointment clouded her face.

"Kael Frostclaw, does destroying us like this truly make you happy?"

I blinked, quickly understanding. She had pinned the blame for the spreading rumors squarely on me.

True enough—after all, I once served as a Pack Chronicle Keeper, and my greatest skill was stirring the winds of rumor until they became storms.

Unfortunately, the first time I lost control and exposed her shameful rut-bond with Dorian Frostclaw, she threatened to have me scent-suppressed and cast out from the profession entirely, claiming I had violated pack privacy laws and damaged her standing. The pack council sided with her.

Now finding anyone willing to help me was nearly impossible.

I cast a sidelong glance at her, long past feeling any wounded pride from being falsely accused.

My hands continued wrapping the anniversary offering for Noah—a small bundle of herbs and moon-blessed tokens for his rune-stone.