The rain didn't merely fall; it shattered against the bitterly cold asphalt. The silence in the alleyway was a living, breathing thing. Thousands of Midnight Eclipse warriors remained on their knees in the dark, their grey eyes fixed on Nora. The air was thick with the scent of wet fur, spent ammunition, and the heavy, ominous frequency of an awakening Royal lineage.
Elder Vance’s hand hung suspended in the gray morning air. The ancient silver medallion around his neck trembled against his chest. "This... this is impossible," the old man said quietly, his voice cracking through the rain. "The Royal bloodline was wiped out in the purge of eighty-four. You’re a baseline wolf from a vassal pack."
"The purge failed, Elder," Nora said. Her voice didn't carry the frantic panic of a mother corn
