27. Dinner Table

|| Lilac's POV || The Moon Garden didn't just hum with energy— it thrummed with it, like a living creature breathing down my neck. Perfumes too expensive to name mixed with the scent of seared steak and truffles, creating a heady cocktail that made my wolf's nose twitch. Glass walls reflected a thousand points of light—moonlight, chandelier glow, the cold glitter of diamonds around too many throats. Ezra's elbow nudged mine as we followed the waiter. "This place is crawling with alphas," he muttered under his breath. I didn't need to look to know he was right. The weight of stares pressed against my skin like physical hands. "Of course it is," Dad said, too calmly. "We're in Nightshade territory now." A shiver crawled down my spine. The Nightshades. Every wolf child grew up hearing the stories. Not the sanitized ones about brave warriors— no, the other stories. The ones whispered after lights-out, where the monsters weren't mindless beasts but something far worse: wolves smart enough t