The Hollow Stone Council hall stood like a monument to ancient power, carved from obsidian and bone, where secrets had bled for centuries. Maria stood beneath its vaulted arches, the symbol of the Luna blazing silver at her throat. Around her, the most powerful alphas of the continent sat in a semicircle, each with their pack sigils glinting coldly in the torchlight.
But the room, for all its grandeur, seethed with silent accusation. She could sense their energies and their anger but she wasn’t afraid of anything now.
"You’ve brought war upon us all," snarled Alpha Norrix of the Onyx Peak Pack. His white-gold hair framed his face like a lion's mane, but his eyes were dark with contempt. "The Buried Ones were locked away for a reason, Luna. And now? Their whispers crawl into our dreams."
