Darius POV
“From this moment forward, Seraphine will not act on behalf of this pack.”
The room didn’t react immediately. They heard me. They just didn’t move.
I stood at the head of the council table, my hands resting flat against the surface, my posture steady enough that no one could point to weakness even if they felt it shifting beneath the surface.
“She will not represent Ironfang in any political, internal, or territorial matter,” I continued, my voice even, measured, leaving no room for interpretation. “Any authority previously extended to her is withdrawn.”
A chair shifted somewhere to my left.
Not loud. But enough to remind me that they were listening differently now.
Not with automatic agreement but with assessment.
Elder Varyn leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharper th
