[The Council]
The meeting was held at Pier Nine.
Once a shipping warehouse along the river, it had been stripped down to concrete, steel beams and exposed lights that hummed faintly overhead.
Neutral ground by design with no pack markings, no territorial claims. It was just a wide open space that smelled faintly of rust and cold water.
It had hosted treaty discussions before but tonight, it felt heavier.
Rogan entered beside Alpha Jerold, his senses alert as they took in the room.
Alphas stood in small clusters with their companions at their sides. Some wore tailored coats, others simple dark clothing but every one of them carried the quiet authority of a leader who had survived the old ways.
They found their seats near the middle and voices filled the space, low, murmured and tense.
"It's made things awkward," one Alpha muttered. "Humans are watching us like we are ticking bombs."
"They always were," another replied. "They just needed a reason."
A third scoffed. "This is what comes of living among them. We were never meant to blend in like this."
An older Alpha shook his head slowly. "The treaty was a mistake. We left our lands, our rules and now look, one incident and we are feeling like we don't belong here."
Rogan kept his gaze forward, listening.
It had been ten years, ten years since the packs had signed the agreement with Blackthorn and the government. Ten years of coexistence, shared cities, shared law and shared silence.
And now a human was dead, murdered gruesomely.
A sharp sound cut through the room, the warehouse doors sliding open.
Conversation died instantly.
Riven stepped inside with his assistant at his side.
He moved with calm precision, dressed simply, his presence commanding without effort. This wasn't bravado, it was confidence earned over years of standing in Kaelen Blackthorn's shadow and beside him.
Rogan felt the shift ripple through the room as every Alpha turned their attention toward him.
Riven stopped at the center of the space but before he could speak, a voice rose from the far side of the room.
"Where is Alpha Blackthorn?"
A murmur followed.
Riven's expression didn't change. "Alpha Kaelen has taken personal days. He will not be joining us tonight."
Silence stretched, long and heavy.
Then an Alpha laughed sharply. "A human is murdered, tensions are rising and the Blackthorn Alpha sends his Beta instead?"
Several heads nodded and others stiffened.
Riven's gaze moved to the speaker, steady and unflinching.
"I wasn't aware that my presence diminished the seriousness of this meeting," he said calmly.
The Alpha sneered. "This threatens our existence, the treaty and he couldn't be bothered to show."
Everyone felt the air tighten.
Riven took a single step forward.
"I have served beside Alpha Blackthorn since childhood," he said evenly. "I have stood in his place when necessary and bled for the same cause. If I am here, then Blackthorn is here."
No one spoke.
Riven let the silence sit just long enough to remind them who he was.
"Now," he continued, voice cool, "if you are finished questioning attendance, we can address the reason we are here."
He gestured slightly and the assistant stepped forward, projecting details onto a portable screen.
"A human employee of Blackthorn Enterprises was killed last night," Riven said. "The incident is under investigation. We are cooperating fully with government authorities."
Murmurs resumed, edgier now.
"In the meantime," Riven went on, "all packs are to remain vigilant. If you sense anything unusual, if anything moves through your territory that doesn't belong, you report it."
"And if it was one of us?" someone asked bluntly.
Riven's eyes hardened. "Then they will be dealt with."
Another Alpha crossed his arms. "Or it could be a pack that never joined the treaty."
"That possibility is being explored," Riven replied.
A younger Alpha leaned forward. "Or maybe it wasn't a wolf at all."
A ripple of unease followed.
"Vampires," someone muttered.
"They have been seen more frequently," another added. "Lurking, watching."
Riven absorbed it all without reaction.
"We are not jumping to conclusions," he said firmly. "Not tonight."
He looked around the room, meeting each Alpha's gaze in turn.
"The treaty holds," he continued. "We do not fracture because of fear. We do not turn on each other without proof."
Silence followed, tense, reluctant but unbroken.
And as the meeting continued, Rogan couldn't shake the certainty tightening in his chest.
It was the first crack in something that had already been straining for years.
….
[Spring Valley]
Kaelen read the message once, then again.
He had just received the information from Riven about the murder of one of their employees and how they had no idea who was behind it.
He lowered the phone slowly.
Behind him, Elder Varyn remained still with his staff grounded beside him. He had felt it too, the subtle shift, the unease threading through the valley like a warning whispered too late.
"This feels different," Varyn said at last.
Kaelen didn't look away from the water. "Attacks have happened before."
"Yes," Varyn agreed. "But never like this."
The attacks had never been so deliberate and never this close to exposure.
The spring pulsed again, just once.
Kaelen's jaw tightened.
"The packs are restless," Varyn continued. "Fear spreads faster than violence, one mistake and the treaty fractures."
Kaelen turned then, his expression controlled but hard. "Which is why I should return."
Varyn's brows furrowed. "You are not ready."
"I am never ready," The TTreplied flatly. "That has never stopped the world from demanding its Alpha."
The curse stirred faintly beneath his skin, as if it recognized the truth of that statement.
"It can happen again," Varyn frowned. "We still don't know the source of the trigger."
Kaelen's gaze sharpened. "And what would you have me do? Hide while my people unravel?"
"Delay," Varyn said. "Just long enough to stabilize what you awakened."
"What awakened wasn't by choice."
"No," Varyn agreed. "But it is yours to carry."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft movement of the spring.
Kaelen looked past the valley, beyond the trees, toward the city lights barely visible in the distance.
Blackthorn was not just a pack, it was a pillar, a promise.
And promises did not get the luxury of hesitation.
"I will go back," Kaelen said finally. "Tonight."
Varyn's expression darkened. "It's too early—"
"I know the cost," Kaelen cut in.
He stepped away from the spring, resolve settling heavy in his chest.
"I won't let fear decide for me," he said.
The valley stirred again, ripples spreading wider this time.
It was a warning but Kaelen didn't look back.