Aurelia's POV
The council didn't summon me.
They announced me.
A horn sounded just after midday—not the sharp warning call, not the council's formal tone, but the broad, public note meant to gather everyone who could stand and listen. Wolves poured into the clearing from every direction, wary and curious in equal measure.
I knew what that meant before Silvara said it.
"They're done arguing in private," she murmured. "Now they want witnesses."
Lucien's hand brushed my elbow. Raffyn straightened, fire quiet but ready. Talon's eyes tracked movement at the edges of the crowd—habit now, not fear.
The elders stood in a line beneath the old oak. Elder Bram took a step forward, his face set, his staff planted firmly into the earth as if to steady himself.
"Aurelia Vale," he called, voice carrying. "Step forward."
I did.
The ground hummed faintly beneath my boots—not flaring, not answering. Just aware.
"You have become a focal point," Bram said. "For Nightfall. For our people. For conflict we did not choose."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"You have also sealed our ward, exposed internal betrayal, and returned a stolen child without bloodshed," he continued. "These facts cannot be ignored."
Raffyn muttered under his breath, "Here it comes."
Bram lifted his chin. "Therefore, the council proposes a measure."
My stomach tightened.
"Aurelia will be placed under formal watch," he said. "Not as prisoner—but as asset."
The word landed hard.
Whispers erupted—some approving, some furious.
Lucien took a step forward. "You don't get to claim her like a weapon."
"This is about protection," Bram shot back.
"For who?" I asked quietly.
The question cut through the noise.
Bram hesitated. "For the pack."
"And me?" I pressed.
Silence.
I felt it then—the shift in the crowd. Not anger. Recognition. Wolves who had been watching me like a shield now realized shields didn't choose where they were raised.
"I won't be paraded," I said. "And I won't be contained."
Bram's grip tightened on his staff. "Then you leave us little room."
"No," I replied. "I'm giving you clarity."
I turned, slowly, letting my gaze move across the gathered wolves. The mother clutching her child. The warriors with tired eyes. The scout who had questioned me the night before, standing rigid and ashamed.
"I didn't ask to be the center of this," I said. "But I won't pretend I'm not part of it. If you want me to stand with this pack, it won't be as an object you manage."
The magic stirred—subtle, steady.
"It will be as someone who chooses you," I continued. "And that means I choose where I stand. Who stands with me. And when I move."
A hush fell.
Silvara's voice carried softly from the edge. "Leadership isn't taken. It's recognized."
Bram closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with a long, weary breath. "Then what do you propose?"
I didn't answer right away.
Because the truth had weight.
"I stay visible," I said finally. "I train openly. I patrol with your warriors. I answer questions—hard ones. And when Nightfall moves, I don't disappear. I respond."
Raffyn nodded once. Talon inclined his head. Lucien stayed silent—but steady.
Bram studied me for a long moment. Then, slowly, he lowered his staff.
"So be it," he said. "But understand this—once seen, you cannot be unseen."
I met his gaze. "I know."
The council dispersed, tension lingering like smoke after flame. Some wolves approached me—tentatively, respectfully. Others kept their distance, fear still winning over trust.
As the clearing thinned, Silvara came to my side. "You just stepped into a space most rulers avoid until they're crowned."
"I'm not a ruler," I said.
She smiled faintly. "Not yet."
Lucien fell into step with me as we walked away. "You didn't flinch."
"I did," I said quietly. "Just not where they could see it."
Raffyn laughed once, short and sharp. "Jarek's going to hate this."
Talon glanced toward the treeline. "He'll adapt."
I felt it then—again—that distant pressure, that quiet attention sharpening.
Let him.
Being seen had a price.
But so did hiding.
And I was done paying that.