As Lord Fenris drew closer to the Council keep, a massive monument made of obsidian and bone that stood like a tooth against the sky, the sky over Crescent Hollow turned blood red.
There were no guards to welcome him.
He was not honored with any flags.
Just ancient magic and silence that tasted like ash and iron.
He went through the massive doors by himself.
---
Each of the twelve chairs surrounding the Council chamber was made of stone and bore the symbol of an old House.
Pale and vicious, Virellia of Frostvale sat in the vampire chair.
The druid-elder of the Great Tree sat next to her, with vines interwoven into his beard.
The southern dragon lord rested lazily in his seat, coated in gold and pride.
The vacant thirteenth seat, known as the Judge's Throne, was always unoccupied in the middle, serving as a reminder that the Council's authority was split.
Fenris made his way to the middle of the room without bowing.
"Alpha of the North," Virellia mumbled. "As always, you arrive with the fragrance of disrespect."
Fenris answered in a composed manner, "Let's skip the niceties, and you reek of stagnation."
The room was filled with a soft hum, but no one stood up.
"You were summoned for clarification, not insult," the druid-elder said, clearing his throat.
"Ask then."
"You proclaimed a human girl—no power, no bloodline—as your companion." Virellia said slowly. You stood up for her. She asserted ownership over him. This goes against hundreds of years of precedent.
"There is no law prohibiting it," Fenris said. "It breaks nothing."
"Because nobody would have thought a wolf would stoop that low."
Fenris retorted, "She is not beneath me. She is just... not you." You are afraid of that.
"And what do you plan to do with this human, Fenris?" the dragon lord asked, raising a languid claw. Is she now your pet philosopher, or are you going to use her to instill humility in your lineage?
"She listens better than most Council members," Fenris growled. She exposes falsehoods. Because you are so preoccupied with protecting your pride, she sees what you overlook.
"You disrespect this room," the druid-elder stated firmly.
"No," Fenris responded. "I remind it of what it's forgotten: that power does not only come in fire, fangs, or flight." At times, it arrives in quiet. In persistence. The audacity to be vulnerable—yet remain strong.
The Council fell silent.
Just for a second, the old wind howled through the stone.
At last, the elder druid responded. "Fenris, your behavior will be closely monitored. There will be repercussions if this… human causes instability."
"Let them come," Fenris agreed with a single nod.
He turned around without being let go.
---
A butler rushed out, pale and shaking, as he went through the outside doors. "My lord. A raven arrived from the North. From the castle.
He accepted the letter.
A single line, in Thalen's handwriting.
"Sayori is gone."
The beating of Fenris's heart ceased.
After that, it started to burn.