The summons came without warning.
No horns sounded. No runner came panting through the corridors. One moment Sammy was sparring with Vaelor near the lower ridge, trading sharp blows and sharper grins, the next the air itself tightened—heavy, deliberate, undeniable.
Sunny felt it too.
He straightened slowly, ash-grey eyes lifting toward the mountain as if something ancient had reached down and wrapped around his spine.
"The elders," Sunny said quietly.
Vaelor wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and laughed.
"About time."
They were not alone.
Nyssara stepped from between the trees as if she had always been there, dark eyes unreadable. Kaerin followed a moment later, boots crunching against gravel, his usual careless expression replaced by focus. Thane arrived last, silent as breath, already studying the terrain as though planning an escape that might never be needed.
Six of them.
Too many for coincidence.
The Elder Chamber swallowed them whole.
Stone walls etched with ancient lunar sigils curved inward like the ribs of some long-dead beast. Torches burned low, shadows stretching and shifting as if alive. The elders sat in a half-circle, cloaked, unmoving, their gazes heavy with expectation.
Elder Tharos rose.
Combat master. War keeper. The one whose voice ended arguments and began funerals.
"You stand here," Tharos said, his voice carrying without effort, "because what comes next does not belong to children, sparring grounds, or lessons."
Silence pressed down on them.
Sammy clenched his jaw. Sunny did not move.
"Before dawn, you will leave pack territory," Tharos continued. "You will cross into contested land near the human borders. A rogue force has begun testing our silence. You will remove it."
Kaerin tilted his head, lips curving.
"Just like that?"
"You will not engage humans," Tharos said flatly. "You will not be seen."
Vaelor scoffed under his breath. Nyssara shot him a warning look.
Sunny stepped forward.
"Who commands the mission?"
Tharos's gaze lingered on him longer than necessary.
"No one you can see."
A faint stir moved through the chamber.
"Beyond our borders," Tharos went on, "you will not use the names you hide behind here."
The words landed like stone.
Tharos turned fully to Sammy.
"Saereth."
The name cracked through the chamber.
Power surged before Sammy could stop it. Torches flared violently. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. Vaelor let out a low, impressed laugh.
Sammy froze, breathing hard.
No one used that name. Not even his parents.
Tharos did not blink.
He turned next to Sunny.
"Solaryn."
The pressure eased. The air steadied. Sunny absorbed the weight instinctively, grounding the space without conscious effort.
"These names are not for your pack," Tharos said. "They are not for your friends. They are not for comfort. Outside our lands, they may save your lives. Inside, they remain buried."
Vaelor leaned toward Sammy and whispered,
"That one felt expensive."
Sammy didn't answer.
"You leave together," Tharos finished. "You return together. Or you do not return at all."
The chamber doors opened.
They crossed the boundary stones at first light.
Beyond Crescent Fang territory, the forest felt wrong. Not hostile. Not peaceful. Watchful.
By dusk, they reached a human settlement pressed against the border. Stone buildings crowded together. Narrow alleys. One tavern burning brighter than the rest.
Inside, smoke clung to the air.
Vaelor dropped into a seat, raising a mug.
"Borders are funny things," he said loudly. "Everyone thinks they mean safety."
A man nearby snorted.
"Only fools head toward the ravine these days."
Sunny leaned in slightly.
"Why?"
"Rogues. No elders. No laws. Led by a beta who talks like he's already king."
Nyssara's eyes narrowed.
By the time they left, the path was clear.
Two nights passed.
The first night strained them.
The second bound them.
They shared food, quiet laughter, half-spoken fears.
"Tomorrow decides things," Sunny said.
"Then we decide back," Sammy replied.
No one slept deeply.
The rogue camp lay in the ravine.
The beta stepped forward, smiling.
"Crescent Fang sends children now?"
"We're not here to negotiate," Sammy said.
The beta lunged.
The battle exploded.
Sammy fought hard—and nearly died.
A blow shattered him against stone.
"Sammy!" Sunny shouted.
The beta laughed.
"Too slow. Too weak."
Sunny stepped in.
The shift tore through them both.
Power erupted.
The beta froze in horror.
"What are you—"
"Too late," Sammy said.
They ended it together.
The land shuddered.
Unseen, Wraith Seven watched.
Back in the Elder Chamber, the torches dimmed.
A presence slid from shadow like silk.
"Honestly," a smooth voice said, amused, "I leave for one night and you nearly tear the land in half."
Several elders stiffened.
"Noctyrr Vahl," one murmured.
Elder Noctyrr stepped fully into the light, smiling easily, eyes sharp and entertained.
"Relax," he said lightly. "If I meant harm, you'd already know."
His gaze slid to Tharos.
"You trained them well. Almost well enough to be troublesome."
A few elders bristled.
Noctyrr's eyes gleamed.
"Beta neutralized. Rogues scattered. Humans noticed nothing—though they will soon."
He glanced toward the twins' empty space.
"And the stirring? Oh… that wasn't the beta. That was something older waking up."
A grin, sharp and knowing.
"Sleep lightly, my friends. Things have noticed you back."
Then he was gone.
The elders sat in silence.
No one spoke.
Because they all understood the truth.
Elder Noctyrr Vahl was smiling—but something beneath that smile was already planning.