The Great Hall of the Iron Fortress was a colossal amphitheater carved directly into the mountain's heart. Rows of stone benches circled a central, sunken floor, packed with the ruling Alphas, Betas, and Elders of the continent. The air was thick with the scent of burning pine, damp earth, and the suffocating tension of a hundred dominant predators crammed into one room.
As the heavy iron doors slammed shut behind Kael and Elara, a sudden, heavy silence fell over the massive chamber. Every eye locked onto them.
Kael walked down the central stone aisle with the predatory grace of a king entering a den of thieves. He didn't look at the gathered Alphas; his gaze was fixed dead ahead on the raised platform where the High Council sat. His raw, midnight aura pulsed outward, an invisible weight
