Kai POV
"How dare you!" My mother's voice echoed through the study, sharp and cutting like a blade. "How dare you stop the Harvest Moon Festival short last night and pull a false alarm, causing panic among our guests and allies? Do you have any idea what kind of embarrassment you've brought upon this pack? Upon this family?"
I stood with my hands clasped behind my back, staring at a point just over her shoulder. I'd learned long ago that looking her directly in the eyes during one of her tirades only made things worse. Better to let the storm rage and wait for it to pass.
"The Northern Ridge Alpha called me this morning," Luna Helene continued, pacing back and forth in front of her desk like a caged animal. "He wanted to know what kind of emergency warranted evacuating hundreds of guests in the middle of a sacred ceremony. And what could I tell him, Kai? What explanation could I possibly give that wouldn't make us look incompetent?"
