Part II — The Trial of Resonance
The Alpha Council sat in a circle of obsidian pillars. Each seat was carved with ancient runes, vibrating faintly as if listening.
At the center, Kai stood shirtless under a beam of white light that felt neither holy nor humane.
The one they called High Alpha Varrin spoke first — voice calm, metallic.
"Echo. The Moon's new frequency."
He said it like a diagnosis.
Lira stood off to the side, flanked by two guards. Prophet's warning still echoed in Kai's memory: Every gift burns twice.
Varrin continued,
"You are not born of our packs, yet the resonance within you exceeds any recorded amplitude. You broke the Sealing Silence."
Kai frowned. "You mean I sang too loud?"
A ripple of disapproval.
One of the elders hissed, "Blasphemy."
Another leaned forward. "The Moon speaks through chosen blood. If he carries the Prime Resonance, he may be—"
"—a weapon," interrupted a third.
"Or a messiah," murmured another.
Varrin raised a hand, silencing them.
"Test him."
From the shadows, a challenger stepped forward — a wolf in human shape, massive, eyes feral amber.
No ceremony, no warning — he lunged.
Kai's body moved before thought. The world stretched again, sound thick as liquid.
He ducked, twisted, caught the strike — and the next heartbeat shattered the chamber's stillness.
A shockwave rolled out.
Stone cracked.
Light shattered.
The challenger hit the wall, unconscious.
The runes on the pillars flared white-hot. The council rose in alarm.
Kai's chest heaved. "You done?"
Varrin's gaze was unreadable.
"You will stay under observation. For your safety—and ours."
Kai met his eyes, unflinching. "I don't kneel."
Lira winced.
Varrin's voice dropped to a whisper that carried across the hall: "Then you stand alone."