Chapter Fourteen: Fire or Crown
The City Trembles
New York did not know it was on the brink of war.
Cars still moved. Lights still glowed. People still laughed in rooftop bars and hurried through subway stations.
But beneath it all, something ancient had awakened.
And it was spreading.
*****
Jason
Jason stood at the center of the Council Chamber.
Not as a son.
Not as a prince.
But as a man who had chosen his side.
The chamber was no longer unified. Raised voices clashed like steel. Alphas argued openly, alliances splintering in real time.
“She attacked Council agents!” one roared.
“She defended herself!” another countered.
“She is an anomaly!”
“She is proof of evolution!”
Jason stepped forward.
“Enough!"
His voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
Silence followed, bu
