Aurelia's POV
The horn sounded again.
Closer this time.
It rolled through the forest like a warning and a summons all at once, vibrating against my ribs until the magic inside me stirred uneasily.
"That's a council horn," Talon said grimly. "Not a call to arms—but close."
Raffyn's fire flared. "Which means panic."
Lucien's wings folded slowly, his expression unreadable. "They've realized she's gone."
Silvara didn't argue. "And they've decided what that absence means."
My stomach knotted. "They think I ran."
"They'll think worse than that," Raffyn said. "They'll think you're conspiring."
The word cut deeper than I expected.
I looked back toward the trees that marked the edge of the Last Growl territory. I could almost feel the pack there—fearful, angry, divided. Wolves who had watched me grow up. Children I'd protected. Elders who already whispered my name like a curse.
"I won't hide," I said suddenly.
All three of them turned to me at once.
Silvara's eyes narrowed. "Careful."
"They'll hunt me if I stay gone," I continued. "And Jarek will use that chaos to move in. I felt it—he wants the pack unstable."
Lucien stepped closer. "You don't owe them anything."
"I know," I said quietly. "But I still belong to them."
Raffyn opened his mouth—then shut it again, jaw tight.
Talon studied me for a long moment. "If you return, they may try to restrain you. Or force a bond."
"I won't let them," I said, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounded.
Silvara exhaled slowly. "Then this will be your first political test."
The horn sounded a third time—sharp, urgent.
Decision made.
"We go together," Lucien said immediately.
Raffyn nodded. "No negotiations without us."
Silvara tilted her head. "Interesting. You've already aligned."
I didn't comment on that.
The pack clearing buzzed with tension when we arrived.
Wolves crowded the perimeter, their stares following me like knives. Some looked relieved. Others looked afraid. A few looked furious.
The council stood at the center.
Elder Bram spoke first. "Aurelia Vale. You left without permission."
I stepped forward before anyone else could speak for me. "I left to prevent harm."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"From whom?" another elder demanded.
Before I could answer, a warrior shouted, "From us, apparently!"
The words stung—but I didn't flinch.
"There are scouts at our borders," I said clearly. "Nightfall is testing your wards. Jarek is watching us."
Gasps erupted.
Elder Bram scowled. "And how would you know that?"
The question carried accusation.
Talon stepped forward. "Because she felt them. Because her magic warned her."
That word again.
Magic.
The murmurs turned sharp.
A woman near the front hissed, "Witch."
Raffyn growled low in his chest.
Lucien's wings flared partway—not threatening, but unmistakable.
Silvara stayed silent at the edge, watching everything.
Elder Bram raised his staff. "Enough. Aurelia, the pack is unsettled. You have refused two lawful bonds and now consort with forbidden forces."
I met his gaze. "I have refused to lie."
Silence fell.
"I didn't ask to be different," I continued. "But I won't pretend I'm not. Jarek knows what I am. If you turn on me now, you hand him exactly what he wants."
The clearing held its breath.
A young warrior stepped forward hesitantly. "She saved my sister. In the market."
Others shifted.
Elder Bram's jaw tightened. "Fear is not reason."
"No," I agreed. "But ignorance is worse."
A sharp crack split the air as something struck the outer wards.
The ground trembled.
Panic rippled instantly.
Silvara stepped forward at last. "That," she said calmly, "was a Nightfall probe."
Chaos broke loose.
Talon raised his voice. "Everyone listen—!"
But it was Lucien who moved first.
His wings unfurled fully, light cutting through the rising panic. "Hold your ground!"
The pack froze—instinctively obeying.
I felt it then.
The shift.
They weren't looking at me like prey anymore.
They were looking at me like a threat.
And like a shield.
Elder Bram stared at me, shaken. "What… are you?"
The truth pressed at my throat—heavy, terrifying, inevitable.
But before I could answer—
Raffyn stepped beside me.
Then Talon.
Then Lucien.
Three shadows at my back.
"Whatever she is," Raffyn said, voice blazing, "she stands with us."
"And we stand with her," Talon added.
Lucien's voice was quiet—but it carried. "Choose wisely. Because the enemy already has."
The wards shuddered again.
And this time, they didn't fully recover.
I closed my eye
s briefly, feeling the fracture lines spread through the pack like cracks in ice.
This wasn't just about me anymore.
It was about who the Last Growl Pack would become.