The wolves on patrol bristled the instant the first car door opened.
Hackles rose in a ripple of movement, low growls vibrating through the night air. Angry eyes tracked every motion as the three elders stepped out of the vehicle. Delilah emerged last, guided forward. She wore white, some ceremonial nonsense chosen to imply innocence and destiny.
Vivienne parked just behind them.
She stayed in the car.
Didn't open the door. Didn't step out. Didn't meet anyone's eyes. Which, Claudia noted grimly, told her everything she needed to know.
Claudia turned to John. "Keep the pups in check," she said calmly. "We don't want this becoming a civil war."
"We just need to stall until dawn," he said.
"And that's how many hours?" Claudia asked, never taking her eyes off Isaac.
"Six," John answered.
Six hours. Six hours between order and chaos.
Claudia stepped forward.
She placed herself deliberately between her house and the elders. She was drawing a line.
