Claire walked elegantly to the front of the hall, and the entire chamber fell silent.
Every eye in the room followed her, Alphas, Betas, Lunas and Gammas alike, all of them watching her as if they were looking at a literal ghost.
No one dared to breathe. The intimidating atmosphere from moments ago vanished, replaced by pure shock, and the only sound in the whole hall was the soft click of her shoes against the marble floor.
Rolf, having finally regained his footing with the help of his Beta, Jake, stared at the woman with wide eyes.
He pointed a trembling finger at her, his voice cracking loudly. "What sorcery is this?" he croaked. "You're dead! You died twenty years ago!"
Kira only smiled as her mother reached her, and the two of them embraced, right there before the whole of the Eastern territory.
And as she held her mother, her memory carried her back once more to the study the previous night. Because this moment, this exact moment, had been Derek's idea.
