---- Chapter 8 "Your Majesty!" The Alpha of the Silver-claw Pack suddenly cried out, his voice filled with desperation. "Please, show mercy! We will pay any price to make up for our mistake!" The other great Alphas quickly echoed his plea. "Yes, Your Majesty! We will offer half of our pack's wealth!" "For the sake of our long-standing alliance, please give us one more chance!" "We truly didn't know who she was!" They were a kneeling mess, bowing their heads to the floor, begging for their lives. All eyes were on Kael, hoping for a shred of his mercy. Kael watched them with a blank expression. After a long moment, he finally spoke. ---- "The Luna Queen's will is my will." That one simple sentence shattered all their hopes. "No!" A sharp female voice pierced the air. It was the Silver-claw Alpha's mate, a woman who was usually insufferably arrogant. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes wild with madness. "You're all being fooled by her!" she shrieked, pointing at me. "She's a cursed witch who brings nothing but misfortune! Look what she's done! She used black magic to bewitch the King and ruin us all!" The temple fell silent. Everyone stared at her in shock. In wolf law, slandering the Queen was a death sentence. "Are you insane?" her mate tried to pull her back. But she had completely lost her mind. "She's not worthy! A discarded bitch, what right does she have to ---- stand there? What right does she have to be our Queen?" Her voice grew more shrill. "She will destroy the entire wolf race! She's a curse! A disaster!" I watched her performance quietly. When she was finally done, I spoke. "Are you finished? " My voice was soft, but in the silent temple, it was chillingly clear. "According to Article Thirty-Seven of the All-Pack Covenant," I said, enunciating every word, " slandering the Queen of the werewolves is punishable by death for the individual, and the forfeiture of territory and a hundred years of exile for their pack." What? Gasps of horror echoed through the hall. The ancient All-Pack Covenant was the highest law, which all wolves had to obey.