The pack gathered under the High Hall at dawn. It was an emergency meeting after the pack witnessed what Aria did to the rogues last night. It unsettled many people, so the council was here for an important decision.
High hall’s stone pillars carved with ancestral victories loomed overhead, their shadows long and heavy. Every seat was filled—elders draped in ceremonial cloaks, ranked warriors lining the walls, advisers whispering behind cupped hands.
Aria stood at the center.
Fearless.
Unapologetic.
Her light was restrained now, folded neatly beneath her skin—but everyone in the hall felt it. The memory of what she had done during the rogue attack still clung to the air like smoke. The elders felt the power when she entered the hall, which was enough to threaten their authority.
An
