Lucas felt like he was going to be sick, but he forced the feeling down as he walked across the field beside his brother. The grass was damp beneath his boots and the air smelled like storm clouds rolling in. People poured in from every direction, answering the announcement that a challenge would take place in less than an hour.
Every pack member had to attend. They all had to bear witness.
The crowd formed a wide ring around the training grounds, their murmurs layering over one another in a low, uneasy hum.
Landon’s face was a perfect mask, unreadable and calm, though Lucas caught the faint, repetitive flex of his brother’s fingers at his side. Landon didn’t fidget. The small tell was enough to twist something sharp in Lucas’s stomach.
He scanned the crowd again. Warriors. Elders. Fam
