A calm settled over the Nightshade Citadel in the days following the victory at Oakhaven, but it was the stillness before an impending storm.
With Lucian’s shadow network dismantled along the western border, the mountain passes fell completely silent. No more covert scouts lurked in the foggy pine hollows, and no more shadow runes blighted the neutral zones. Yet, everyone inside the fortress knew this quiet was temporary. The Royal Alpha Summit was now less than a week away, and the grand gathering of pack leaders at the neutral High Council grounds would be the true battleground.
In the Citadel’s glass-roofed conservatory—a quiet sanctuary filled with rare mountain flora and blooming winter roses—I stood near the central stone basin. Soft morning light filtered through the frosted glass
