The name Aldric settled over the council chamber like a storm cloud.
No one spoke.
The fire crackled softly in the stone hearth, but even that sound felt distant.
Elara watched the reactions around her.
Rowan had gone completely still.
Mira looked as if someone had just told her the sky was about to fall.
Even Kael, who had seemed unshakable since the moment she met him, now carried a heaviness in his expression.
Elara finally broke the silence.
"Alright," she said slowly. "Someone needs to explain why that name just made all of you look like you saw a ghost."
Rowan exhaled.
"You kind of did."
She stared at him.
"Rowan."
"Yes?"
"Details."
He glanced at Kael, who gave a slight nod.
Rowan pushed away from the wall and stepped closer to the table.
"Aldric was not just a Lycan."
Elara crossed her arms.
"That sentence already sounds terrible."
Rowan continued.
"Aldric was the strongest Lycan that ever existed. A warlord who almost destroyed every wolf pack a century ago."
Elara blinked.
"You are saying a monster almost wiped out an entire species of werewolves."
"Yes."
"And your solution was to assume he died."
Rowan rubbed his forehead.
"There was a war. A very big war."
The elder spoke from near the fire.
"It was called the Blood Purge."
Elara glanced at him.
"That sounds exactly as violent as it probably was."
The elder nodded.
"For three nights the wolf packs fought Aldric and his army of Lycans. Thousands died. Entire bloodlines disappeared."
Kael remembered the stories well.
The ancient battlefield.
The forests burned to ash.
The rivers running red.
"The final battle took place under a lunar eclipse," the elder continued. "The packs believed Aldric was killed there."
Elara leaned forward.
"Believed."
Rowan sighed.
"His body was never found."
Elara gave a small humorless laugh.
"So the most dangerous monster in history just disappeared and everyone decided that was fine."
Mira shook her head slowly.
"No one believed he survived. Lycans cannot hide forever. They are creatures of destruction."
"But the attacks tonight prove otherwise," Rowan said.
Kael remained quiet.
His mind was already moving through the implications.
If Aldric truly lived, the events of tonight were not random.
They were the opening move of something far larger.
Elara's voice cut through his thoughts.
"And where exactly do I fit into this nightmare."
The elder turned toward her.
"That is the question."
Elara sighed.
"Of course it is."
The elder studied her face carefully.
"When the silver light appeared between you and the Alpha, I felt something awaken."
Elara shifted uncomfortably.
"That light keeps coming up."
"It should," the elder said.
"Why?"
"Because it has not been seen in centuries."
Rowan frowned.
"Not since the last priestess."
The room went quiet again.
Elara looked between them.
"Someone explain what that means before I lose my mind."
The elder spoke slowly.
"In ancient wolf history, certain bloodlines were blessed directly by the Moon Goddess."
Elara raised a hand.
"Wait. The Moon Goddess is an actual being."
Rowan shrugged.
"For us she is."
Elara looked back at the elder.
"Continue."
"Those blessed bloodlines were known as priestesses. They acted as guardians of the balance between wolves and the supernatural world."
Mira leaned forward.
"They were incredibly powerful."
Elara's stomach tightened.
"You are not suggesting that I am one of those."
The elder hesitated.
"I am suggesting that you may carry their blood."
Elara stared at him.
"That is impossible."
But even as she said it, a strange unease crept through her chest.
The silver light.
The warmth she felt earlier.
The way the Lycan had looked at her.
Rowan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"If Aldric learned that a priestess bloodline survived…"
Kael finished the thought.
"He would need her alive."
Elara frowned.
"Why alive."
The elder answered quietly.
"Because the Blood Moon is approaching."
Elara looked exhausted.
"That phrase again."
Rowan nodded.
"It happens once every hundred years. During that night, supernatural energy becomes stronger."
"And if Aldric uses priestess blood during the ritual," Mira said softly, "he could corrupt the power of the Moon Goddess."
Elara blinked.
"So killing me would give him power."
"Not just killing," the elder corrected.
"Sacrificing."
A chill ran down Elara's spine.
"That is even worse."
Kael stepped closer to the table.
"There is still something wrong with this."
Everyone looked at him.
"If Aldric needs Elara alive for a ritual, why send Lycans to attack her earlier."
Rowan frowned.
"That is true."
Mira's eyes narrowed.
"Unless that was never the real plan."
The elder slowly nodded.
"Exactly."
Elara felt her stomach drop.
"What do you mean."
The elder looked directly at her.
"I believe tonight was a test."
The room grew quiet again.
Rowan's voice lowered.
"A test for what."
"To see if she truly carries the power they are searching for."
Kael thought back to the moment of silver light.
If the Lycans witnessed that energy, Aldric would now know the truth.
Elara leaned back in her chair.
"So I basically confirmed their suspicions."
"Yes," Mira said bluntly.
Elara sighed.
"Fantastic."
Kael walked toward the window, staring out at the dark forest.
His wolf stirred uneasily.
Something about this situation felt even more complicated than it appeared.
"Elder," he said quietly.
"Yes."
"You said priestess bloodlines were powerful."
"They were."
"What kind of power."
The elder hesitated.
Then he answered.
"They could control wolves."
Rowan straightened.
"That is impossible."
"It is rare," the elder admitted. "But the stories say priestesses could command entire packs if necessary."
Elara blinked.
"That sounds extremely dangerous."
Mira crossed her arms.
"That depends on who is controlling the power."
Before the conversation could continue, the heavy door to the chamber burst open.
A young scout rushed inside, breathing hard.
"Alpha."
Kael turned.
"What happened."
The scout struggled to catch his breath.
"They attacked the northern patrol."
Rowan swore quietly.
"How many."
The scout's voice trembled slightly.
"At least twelve."
The number hit the room like thunder.
Mira stood instantly.
"That is not a hunting party."
"That is a war group," Rowan said.
Kael's eyes flashed gold.
"Where are they now."
"Two miles north of the pack house."
Elara felt her heart begin to race again.
"They are getting closer."
The scout nodded.
"And there is something else."
Kael's voice sharpened.
"What."
The scout hesitated.
"They were not just attacking the patrol."
"What were they doing."
The scout looked toward Elara.
"They were searching."
The room fell silent.
Kael already knew the answer before the next words came.
"Searching for what."
The scout swallowed.
"For her."
Elara felt the weight of every gaze in the room.
But the scout was not finished.
"There was someone else with them."
Kael's attention sharpened instantly.
"Someone else."
"Yes."
Rowan frowned.
"A Lycan leader."
The scout shook his head slowly.
"No."
His voice dropped.
"It was a man."
The room went completely still.
"What kind of man," Kael asked.
The scout looked shaken.
"He looked human."
Elara's breath caught.
"And the Lycans followed him like soldiers."
The elder's face turned pale.
Kael's voice became dangerously quiet.
"Did he say anything."
The scout nodded slowly.
"He spoke one sentence before they disappeared into the forest."
Everyone leaned forward.
"What did he say."
The scout's voice trembled.
"He said the priestess has awakened."
Elara felt the air leave her lungs.
Because somehow
someone in the forest already knew exactly what she was.