The heavy wooden doors of the clubhouse’s Church room creaked open mid-meeting — something that never happened unless it was serious. Every head turned toward the noise, the long oak table suddenly feeling smaller as the scent of leather, motor oil, and the faint tang of wolf musk filled the air.

Gemma walked in first, heels clicking against the floor, her posture radiating the kind of authority that didn’t care if you were human or wolf. She had that smirk — the one that said “I know something you don’t, and I’m about to enjoy telling you.”

But it wasn’t Gemma that had everyone’s attention.

She smelled… different.

Not human. Not quite pack either. There was the earthy scent of forest rain on stone, wild mint crushed underfoot, and something sharper — the metallic echo of blood on snow.

Gemma stopped at the head of the table, resting her hand on the back of Jax’s chair.

Gemma: “Boys… meet your new Lore Keeper.”

The words landed heavily in the air. A few of the Sons exchanged quick looks — not many wolves outside their own knew the deeper histories of the Redwood pack, and fewer still were trusted with it.

She stepped forward just enough to lean her hip against the end of the table, a slow grin curling her lips.

Jax leaned back in his chair, blue eyes cool and assessing. “Lore Keeper, huh? You even know what you’re keepin’?”

Opie’s dark eyes were steady on her, scanning for threat, his jaw tight.

Chibs tilted his head, a wry smile pulling at his scar. “And what tales do ye think you’ll be tellin’ us, lass?”

Tig… well, Tig was already grinning like Christmas had come early. “I like her already. She’s got that… unhinged sparkle.”

Without missing a beat, she dropped the satchel onto the table with a solid thud. The sound echoed in the room. She unbuckled the flap and pulled out a battered leather-bound book, its pages yellowed and edges frayed.

Her eyes glinted with mischief as she flipped it open.

“So… who wants to hear about the time your great-great-grandalpha got drunk on fermented berries and tried to challenge a moose?”