The senior meeting was shorter and colder than any that had come before it.
Asher stood at the head of the table and did not waste time. Pell’s death was treated as what it was — a deliberate strike meant to prove Selene could still reach us. The note was read once. No one asked for it to be repeated.
“From this point forward we stop answering probes with patience,” Asher said. “Southern and eastern borders move to aggressive interception. Any unidentified wolf within the outer marker is detained, not observed. If they resist, they are put down. Blackthorn will receive a second message before nightfall: one more body on our land and we stop recognizing their denials as diplomacy.”
Orrin’s face was grim. “That risks open conflict.”
“They risked open conflict when they allowed their rout
