AMANDA'S POV
Once, this mansion had felt like home. When my father was still alive, I used to run through these halls, laughing, chasing shadows, stealing cookies from the kitchen. Back then, people smiled at us—really smiled—like we belonged here.
Now, stepping through the front door felt like walking into a lion's den.
The guards didn't take us to the sitting room or the library. They led us straight to the***—the Council Chamber. I'd been inside only twice in my entire life. Both times had been for ceremonies. Both times, my father had been by my side.
The room was colder than I remembered. Vast. Stone walls. A heavy wooden table. High-backed chairs where the Pack's leadership sat in judgment.
Alpha Reed sat at the center, his face carved from granite. To his right sat
