Sixty Nine

I stared wide-eyed, from the Elders, over to Thane, who was clearing his throat and about to speak. "I, too, wholeheartedly thank you for the welcome that most of you have shown Laila, but there is something else that needs to be addressed tonight. Something you may have heard some rumours about already." His words were followed by a loud rustle of collective whispers, like the wind drifting through the leaves, before all fell silent again, and he continued.

"There have been some - a small minority - but still far too many, who have not been so welcoming, particularly because of her werewolf roots." There were more whispers again, mostly seeming to sound angry this time, and I couldn't help but feel a flurry of warmth at the reaction. "Many of you know that she was kidnapped," Thane continued, "and this was the reason behind it. They sought to do her harm, to take our future Luna from us, purely because of what she was born as, something she had absolutely no control over."

The angry