The assembly did not begin with a howl.
That absence alone told Aurelia everything.
Wolves filled the lower circle in uneven ranks, some standing shoulder to shoulder, others leaving deliberate gaps between themselves and their neighbors. No one spoke. No one shifted. Even the wind seemed to hesitate at the edge of the clearing, leaves suspended in an unnatural stillness.
This was not unity.
This was an assessment.
Aurelia stood where the stone ring widened, just below the raised platform where the council waited. She felt the weight of every gaze—not sharp, not hostile, but searching. Measuring. The kind of attention that came before a decision was made.
Behind her, Mira remained silent. Present, but careful not to stand too close.
That distance mattered.
Aurelia did not look back.
The eldest elder stepped forward at last, staff striking stone once to mark the opening of the assembly. The sound echoed longer than it should have.
