Kael stood across from me.
He was silent, probably waiting for what I was about to say.
He had returned not long ago.
Everything was beginning to make sense.
“You should read it again,” Kael said.
I didn’t look up.
“I’ve memorized it.”
“That’s not the point.”
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his.
“Then what is it?”
Kael stepped closer, his expression sharper than usual.
“The wording,” he said. “It’s not just a challenge.”
I picked the parchment again, my grip tightening slightly.
To Alpha Luciano,
Word of your growing territory has reached even the far edges of the south. Strength attracts attention and so do unusual acquisitions.
It is said that you have taken in something rare. Something valuable. A possession.
Such things do not belong hidden behind walls.
I propose a c
