By dawn, the decision had already begun dividing the pack.
Silas stood at the head of the council chamber, hands braced against the long obsidian table carved with generations of Alpha marks. Torches burned low along the stone walls, smoke trailing upward in thin gray ribbons.
The former Luna sat to his right.
Selene stood to his left.
Deliberate.
Provocative.
Necessary.
"You would invite rival Alphas into our territory," Elder Marrek said slowly, voice edged with disbelief. "After a border provocation?"
"Yes," Silas replied.
A murmur swept the chamber.
"They test us because they believe we are unstable," Selene said evenly. "If we retreat inward, we confirm that belief."
"And if we open our gates?" another council member snapped. "We hand them our vulnerabilities."
Selene met his stare calmly. "Only if we behave as though we have them."
Silence.
The former Luna's fingers tapped lightly against the stone table.
