The southern provinces had trembled quietly, but now the Wolf's shadow reached deeper than ever.
No army moved openly. No banners marched. Yet obedience spread like wildfire.
Aren's plan was simple: infiltrate the southern strongholds from within, fracture alliances, and watch the lords betray each other before the first sword was drawn.
Caelis led a small unit through secret passes, cutting communications and intercepting couriers.
By the time the southern lords realized their messages were gone, the seeds of distrust had already taken root.
Lysa oversaw the villages, spreading rumors:
The Wolf watches. Defiance will vanish. Obedience is survival.
Fear spread faster than any army.
One southern lord, confident in his isolation, attempted to rally neighboring allies.
By dawn, his men refused to follow.
Letters vanished. Supplies "misplaced." Allies turned silent—or disappeared entirely.
Rowan's panic grew with each report.
The south, long thought a potential bulwark against the Wolf, was quietly collapsing.
Aren entered the city of Southwatch at night—not a blade drawn, not a single shout raised.
The gates opened as if by will alone.
The lords knelt. The soldiers bowed. Even merchants whispered obedience.
"Do you understand?" Aren said to Lysa and Caelis, standing atop the southern walls.
"Fear controls them. Shadows bind them. And patience ensures their compliance.
The Wolf does not need armies. The kingdom bends without a fight."
Outside, the southern plains lay quiet beneath the moon.
The Silent Coup had succeeded.
And the Wolf's web now stretched over nearly the entire kingdom, tighter and darker than ever.