Chapter82: A state visit

KELLY THOMPSON'S POV  The moon hung heavy, a silvered chalice spilling its eerie glow over the shadow-strewn forest as I paced the silent corridors of our stronghold. Jason was still away, his presence among the shadows lingering like a ghost as he spied on the Black Faes' movements. The days since the conference with the packs' leaders had stretched taut with anticipation, each passing hour a whisper of potential peril. It was during one such endless evening that the invitation arrived, an ornate script dancing across parchment like the flight of a raven's wing. Alpha Markus of the North-eastern pack extended a cordial summons for a state visit. A chance to delve into ancient werewolf traditions, secrets that promised to weave strength into the very fabric of our bonds. With my heart thrumming a steady rhythm against the cage of my ribs, I gathered my trusted allies. Elara Windrider, her wisdom as deep as the oceans she commanded; Paul Biansky, with a mind sharp as a scythe in the har