The first official meeting between the Night Council and the Northern Pack was held one year after the third bond was restored.
It took that long to negotiate the terms. Neutral ground. Equal representation. An agenda that avoided the most contentious issues. Cassius and Aldric had worked tirelessly, burning through decades of mistrust one conversation at a time.
Lyra and Kael attended as observers. They sat in the back of the room, watching their fathers navigate a minefield of ancient grievances.
"The Silent Ones have been purged from the Council," Cassius said. "Those who were knowingly complicit have been removed. Those who were manipulated unknowingly have been offered rehabilitation."
"The pack has done the same," Aldric said. "We've identified the hunters who served them. Most were victims themselves. They're being reintegrated."
Lord Valerius—still suspicious, still resistant—spoke. "And what of the bridge? This... entity you claim exists beneath the third bond?"
"It's healing," Lyra said. Everyone turned to look at her. "I can feel it. The hatred that poisoned it is fading. As our kinds find common ground, it grows stronger. Healthier."
"And if we fail? If the old hatreds return?"
"Then it suffers. And eventually, it might become what the Silent Ones feared. A monster born of our division." She paused. "But that's our choice. Every day. To heal it or to harm it."
The room was quiet. Then a vampire Lyra didn't know—young, turned recently—raised her hand.
"I wasn't alive for the Blood Wars. I don't carry the same grudges. I want to know more about the wolves. Their culture. Their history. Can we arrange exchanges? Learning opportunities?"
Aldric looked at Cassius. Cassius nodded slowly.
"We can discuss that," Aldric said.
It was a small thing. A question. But it was a beginning.