Chapter 70 An Uneasy Welcome

• We arrived at the capital under the cover of dusk, the thick, towering walls of the royal city looming before us like the jaws of a predator. The journey had been long, and my heart, heavy with the weight of uncertainty, sank as the gates groaned open, revealing the bustling streets that were both familiar and strange. I had passed through these gates before—years ago, as a child—but now, as the leader of the Red Moon Pack, I was a different person. And the city? It had changed too.
• I wasn’t just entering the heart of the kingdom—I was stepping into a pit of intrigue and suspicion. The whispers of the court, the shifting alliances among the nobles, they all felt like a storm gathering in the distance. My stomach churned as the reality of what we were walking into settled over me.
• “Ready?” Blue’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to see his steady gaze, the warmth in his eyes a comfort amidst the growing tension. Grey, ever the silent protector, stood beside him, his posture stiff, his eyes scanning the surroundings with an edge of wariness. I knew he wasn’t as convinced as Blue that things would go smoothly. I wasn’t either.