The meeting was already out of control before I arrived.
Voices filled the council chamber, overlapping, sharp, impatient. Elders, Guardians, and leaders from different factions were all present, their tension thick enough to feel the moment I stepped in.
Then silence fell.
All eyes turned to me.
Not with respect this time.
With concern.
With fear.
I walked to the center without speaking, my presence alone enough to steady the room, but it didn't last.
"You've crossed a line," one of the elders said immediately.
I didn't respond.
"An Alpha bond is one thing," another added, "but what you've done is beyond the laws that bind us."
Murmurs followed, controlled but restless.
I could feel it building.
Not just in the room—
But through the bond.
Her.
Faint. Awake. Moving.
My jaw tightened slightly.
"She's awake…" I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" one of them asked.
"Nothing," I replied, my voice returning to its usual calm.
But it wasn't nothing.
I could feel her clearly now—uncertain, adjusting, trying to understand the connection. And underneath that… worry.
For me.
The realization hit harder than it should have.
"You've bound yourself to something we don't understand," an elder continued. "That alone is a threat."
"She is not a threat," I said.
"You cannot know that."
"I do."
The room stirred again.
"Because of the bond?" another questioned sharply.
I didn't answer.
Because it wasn't just the bond.
It was what I felt from her.
Raw. Untrained. But not dangerous.
Not yet.
"The mark alone proves this is unnatural," someone said. "A wolf's head? That is not a rank mark. That is not a mating seal. That is something else entirely."
I remained silent.
Because they weren't wrong.
"And your form," another added, their voice tightening, "what happened to you has already spread across territories. A partial shift? A merged state? That has never existed."
"It exists now," I said calmly.
That only made things worse.
"You're treating this too lightly," an elder snapped. "Your wolf has evolved beyond control."
At that, something in me stirred.
Not anger.
But warning.
"Careful," I said quietly.
The room went still.
Because they felt it.
The shift beneath my control.
Rynn wasn't silent anymore.
He was watching.
Listening.
And ready.
"You see?" one of them said, lowering their voice. "You're already unstable."
Before I could respond, the doors opened.
Amanda walked in.
The tension shifted instantly.
Her presence cut through the noise as she stepped forward, her gaze moving briefly across the room before settling on me.
"This meeting is pointless if you're all speaking from fear," she said calmly.
No one interrupted her.
"She's awake," I said.
The words landed heavily.
Amanda's expression didn't change, but I felt it through the bond—Baby's awareness sharpened at that exact moment.
"She woke up alone?" Amanda asked.
"She's not alone," I replied.
A pause.
Then understanding flickered in her eyes.
"The bond," she said quietly.
"Yes."
Silence followed.
Then the questions returned, louder this time.
"If she's awake, she needs to be evaluated."
"She needs to be contained."
"She needs to be separated from you."
"No," I said.
This time louder.
Final.
The room fell silent again.
"You're choosing her over balance," one elder said carefully.
"I'm maintaining it," I replied.
"By risking everything?"
"By controlling what you don't understand," I corrected.
That didn't calm them.
If anything, it made the fear worse.
"Do you even know what she is?" another asked.
I didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was—
No.
Not fully.
But I knew enough.
"She's not your enemy," I said.
"That's what you believe," they replied.
My eyes hardened slightly.
"That's what I know."
Silence followed.
Heavy. Unresolved.
Then Amanda spoke again, her voice quieter this time.
"If the prophecy is true… then this was never going to be simple."
The room stilled.
Because that was the part none of them wanted to face.
This wasn't something they could stop.
It had already begun.
I exhaled slowly, turning toward the door.
"This meeting is over," I said.
"You don't get to decide that alone," one of them protested.
I paused.
Then looked back.
"I already have."
No one stopped me.
Because despite everything—
They still knew who I was.
Alpha.
Sovereign.
And now—
Something more.
As I stepped out of the chamber, the bond pulled again.
Stronger this time.
Clearer.
Her worry hadn't faded.
If anything—
It had grown.
And for the first time since the meeting began, I felt something cut through everything else.
Urgency.
Because whatever she was feeling—
It wasn't just about me anymore.
Something was coming.
And she could feel it too.