The Alpha’s Stand
The air in the council hall crackled with tension.
Caleb stood in the center again, a familiar place now—but today, the hostility was sharper. Whispers slithered through the room like snakes.
“Traitor.”
“Unnatural.”
“Loyalty doesn’t grow back once it’s broken.”
Elder Marra’s voice rose above the murmurs. “This council convenes to discuss the recent breach in the southern border. Three dead, six injured. The scouts report that Caleb led that patrol. Is that correct?”
Caleb didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
“And you failed to anticipate the ambush,” Marra pressed. “Failed to prevent the deaths.”
“I didn’t fail,” Caleb said, voice steady. “I made the call to retreat and saved the rest. Without that decision, we would’ve lost them all.”
Marra turned to the gathered crowd. “Conv
