One Circle, One Howl
The great hall beneath the roots of the ironwood tree had never been this full.
It had once been a forgotten temple—overgrown, abandoned when the curse took hold. But now, with the curse shattered and the old ways in flux, the Circle of Voices gathered here for the first time as something new: a tentative council tasked with shaping the future.
Wolves of all ranks, bloodlines, and former allegiances packed the stone benches. Rowan sat at the head of the wide circle, not on a throne, but on a carved log seat no higher than the others. Caleb, the newly named Voice of the Outcasts, sat beside him. His ash-marked cheek had faded but not disappeared—a reminder to everyone of where he'd come from and who he still fought for.
Esme stood behind them, eyes sharp, staff in h
