Despite Kael's defeat, Mara's rogues continued to be a thorn in the side of the newly forming alliance. Their attacks were less organized, more desperate, but they were also more vicious. Elara, using her advanced senses, noted a subtle shift in Mara's leadership, almost as if the rogue Alpha herself was being pushed beyond her limits, driven by a desperate, almost obsessive need for revenge.
More concerning were the sporadic reports from allied packs of unusual, non-wolf shifters being spotted among Mara's forces during skirmishes. Bears, mountain lions, even a few serpent shifters – creatures not typically allied with wolves, and certainly not with rogues. These were not Kael's mental manipulations; this was a tangible, new development.
Elara's visions, though clearer now, still hinted at a shadowy figure providing these unusual allies to Mara, perhaps a powerful, disgruntled shifter of another species, or even a human with ancient knowledge of shapeshifters. It indicated that while Kael was gone, his disruption had opened a pandora's box, allowing other disaffected and dangerous elements to emerge from the shadows, seeking to capitalize on the lingering chaos. The unseen allies of Mara presented a new, unpredictable threat to the fragile peace.