Esther and Samuel emerged from the Ogwumagala Caves an hour later, carrying the Golden Leaf Casket like a sacred artifact. The sun was fully up, casting long shadows across the university quarry.
They found Tunde, battered and bruised, but alive, leaning against a large boulder. He had managed to subdue Ngozi, who had retreated into the tunnels when the earth tremors suddenly ceased.
"The Alpha knows," Tunde rasped, his eyes fixed on the brilliant, shimmering Casket. "He felt the stabilization. The Pack knows the Stone is protected. But they don't know how."
Samuel nodded, his face serious. "Then we present the evidence. Tunde, you take the Casket directly to the Den. Tell them it's the new protector of the Stone, the permanent stability they craved. Esther and I will follow shortly."
Tunde, seeing the resolute authority in Samuel's eyes, took the Casket and ran.
Esther and Samuel followed him back to the Alpha's Den. The warehouse was teeming with agitated, half-shifted wolves—a circle of amber eyes and tightly controlled power.
Alpha Chinedu stood at the head of the long table, the Golden Leaf Casket sitting prominently before him. He was furious, his face a thundercloud of parental disappointment and pack-leader rage.
"You disobeyed the Alpha's command, Samuel," Chinedu's voice shook the room. "You risked the safety of the Keeper and the stability of the city. You defied the laws of the Pack."
"I defied a failed policy, Father," Samuel stated, stepping forward, drawing Esther to stand firmly by his side. "And I secured a permanent solution that you, in your rigid adherence to the old pact, could never achieve."
He gestured to the Golden Leaf Casket, which radiated a warm, stable energy. "This is the Akwụkwọ Ọlaedo, the Golden Leaf. Madam Chinwe's final, successful solution. It stabilizes the Foundation Stone independently, breaking the parasitic bond between the Pack and the Keeper."
A murmur ran through the assembled wolves. The concept of freedom from the pact was intoxicating.
"Lies!" roared Elder Bamidele. "This is magic from the Shadow! A trick by the vampire!"
"Fortune helped create it, yes," Esther said, stepping forward, her small frame radiating immense resolve. "Because I convinced him it was his only path to gaining stable power—the very thing he wanted. He wanted chaos; I gave him balance. He was injured and cornered. It was a bargain, not a pact."
She looked directly at Alpha Chinedu. "Your son chose to trust the truth, even the painful truth about my role as the Keeper. You chose to cling to fear, exiling the one person who could secure your Pack's true freedom. The danger to the city was not Fortune's plan, but your Pack's outdated, selfish law."
The Alpha's expression fractured. He looked at the Casket, then at Esther, then finally at his son. He realized the rigid law of the pact was built on fear, not necessity, and Samuel's love had achieved what generations of duty could not.
"You are free, Samuel," the Alpha finally conceded, his voice heavy with defeat and relief. "The bond is severed. The exile is lifted. The Pack is free to choose its destiny."