The council chamber had never felt this small.
Stone walls curved high above them, carved with the history of Alphas long dead names etched deep, as if permanence alone could grant them honor. Torches burned blue along the perimeter, their flames steady, controlled. Civilized.
A lie.
She stepped inside, boots echoing once twice before silence swallowed the sound. Every seat was occupied. Every gaze turned.
And then,
Her name was spoken.
Not shouted.
Not announced.
Pronounced.
The effect was immediate.
One council elder stiffened. Another leaned forward, eyes narrowing. A low murmur rippled through the chamber like disturbed water.
So it was true.
She lifted her chin, meeting their stares without flinching. Fear had died in a burning camp years ago.
"The rogue child lives," one of them said at last.
"No," she replied coolly. "The rogue survived."
A sharp intake of breath.
The Alpha enforcer the same one from her memories sat at the center. Time had not softened him. If anything, it had sharpened his edges. His gaze locked onto her with something dangerously close to satisfaction.
"You disappeared," he said. "We assumed the flames finished what they started."
"They didn't," she said. "Clearly."
Silence fell again, heavier now.
Another council member spoke. "You understand why your existence is… unsettling."
She almost laughed.
"You burned my family," she said calmly. "I think we're past unsettled."
Power stirred beneath her skin hot, restless. The torches flickered. A crack spidered across the stone floor near her feet.
Several elders recoiled.
The Alpha enforcer's lips curved. "There it is."
Her mate standing just behind her growled low. The sound vibrated through the chamber, a warning no one could mistake.
"She stands under my protection," he said. "Any judgment passes through me."
The council erupted.
"You would bind the pack to that?"
"She is unstable!"
"She is forbidden "
"She is mine," he cut in.
The room went dead quiet.
She turned slightly, just enough to look at him. Surprise flashed across her face before she could stop it.
Mine.
The Alpha enforcer rose slowly from his seat.
"This changes things," he said. "If she is truly what the flames revealed that night… then the council doesn't decide her fate."
Her pulse thundered.
"Who does?" she asked.
His smile was thin. Ancient.
"The prophecy."
The word slammed into the room like a verdict.
Outside, thunder rolled despite the clear sky.
And deep within her chest, something answered.
Awake.
Hungry.
Remembering.