Amara.
The moment the council room broke into an uproar, I regretted ever speaking up.
The only reason I had said anything at all was because my wolf had demanded it of me—her voice had been relentless, insistent, and impossible to silence.
Had it been any other day, I would have ignored her.
But I didn't this time.
Because I still owed her—for protecting my cousins the day before.
The elders' voices clashed violently. Fury. Disbelief. Irritation. Too many emotions layered over one another until the air grew thick and oppressive. Suddenly, breathing felt like a crime.
"A leader?"
"That's impossible."
"She doesn't know what she saw—"
I flinched at the last remark and instinctively stepped back, my shoulder brushing against Vance's arm in the process. He placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently in reassurance.
And that was when I felt it again.
That strange, subtle pull. That quiet tingling sensation beneath my skin.
The Alpha's aura.
I didn't look at him. I couldn't possibly do that, not when my presence felt so unwelcomed. I couldn't bring myself to discover that he too did not want me there.
"If there truly is a leader," one elder barked, "why would these rogues still stray instead of settling?"
"There must be a reason," another snapped. "They could be planning something."
"And you believe her?" the first scoffed.
Before fear could fully take hold of me, a pressure descended upon the room—heavy, commanding, and absolute.
"Enough."
The Alpha didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
The moment the word left his lips, silence crashed down like nothing I had ever felt before. Every gaze shifted toward him. I felt it too—the way his presence rooted itself into the room, as though the air itself acknowledged who he was.
"You will not dismiss her words," he said calmly—almost too calmly. "Not when multiple patrol reports support the possibility of organized rogue movement."
I stiffened when I noticed the elder my grandmother called, Velma, smiling faintly.
Ever since I entered the room, she had been the only elder to look at me directly. From time to time, her gaze would settle on me, her lips curving into that same unsettling smile.
It should have comforted me—having at least one elder not openly hostile.
But truthfully, it didn't.
There was something about the way she watched me that rattled me.
She finally tore her gaze from me and turned to the Alpha, her smile widening. "You seem rather… invested in her words, Alpha."
Against my better judgment, I looked at him.
For a brief moment, something sharp flickered in his usually composed eyes—dangerous but restrained—still, his voice remained steady. "I am invested in the safety of this pack."
Her gaze slowly slid back to me.
"And yet," she murmured, "your interest feels… biased."
Vance fumed beside me. I felt his anger ripple before he spoke.
"With all due respect, Elder," he said tightly, "Amara was there when we fought those rogues. She was the most levelheaded among us. If she says there was a leader, then there was one."
A tense pause followed.
Then—
The Alpha rose.
The sound of his chair's legs scraping against stone floor echoed like a warning throughout the room.
"Enough speculation," he said. "Patrols will double at all borders. No one leaves the territory without clearance. Any further rogue sightings will be reported directly to me."
He turned slightly.
"This meeting is adjourned."
The elders hesitated—but none dared challenge him.
One by one, they stood and exited the room.
Elder Velma stood around for a while. She cast me one last glance, her smile unchanged, then inclined her head in a shallow bow before disappearing through the doorway.
It was only after then did the pressure that weighed on my chest, lift.
I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and stared down at my trembling hands.
Vance leaned closer. "You're okay," he whispered.
I wasn't sure I believed him.
The room emptied quickly until only a few remained—Lucien, Kael, another man I didn't recognize, Grandmother… and us.
Lucien finally turned to me.
Our eyes met.
And everything inside me stilled.
The intensity of his gaze made my breath catch. His eyes weren't cold or fierce—it was curious. As though he were trying to see past my skin, past my guarded expression, into something deeper.
The unfamiliar man crossed the room toward me. When he stopped a few steps away, he gently took my hand and pressed his forehead against it.
I was startled by his strange courtesy towards me—but didn't pull away.
After a moment, he stepped back. "Hugh Warlorde," he said evenly. "Gamma of the Twilight Pack."
I blinked and glanced at Grandmother. She offered me a small, reassuring smile.
"Amara Krieg," I replied softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gamma."
Despite the gloom clinging to him, Hugh smiled rather brightly.
"So," he said, "can you describe the leader to me?"
Without knowing why, my gaze flicked to the Alpha.
Some irrational part of me hoped he would offer me that sense of grounding again—I hoped he would lend me the strength to speak once more.
And as if sensing it, he gave a small nod.
Immediately, courage settled into my chest.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself back into the memory.
"He didn't fight," I said slowly. "He stood apart. Watching. The rogues moved when he did. When he lifted his hand… they retreated."
The room shifted.
Hugh's jaw tightened.
"And his aura? Can you recall what it felt like?" Kael asked.
I hesitated. "It felt…wrong. Menacing. Heavy. Like the air before some destructive storm."
Lucien's gaze sharpened.
"That confirms it," Hugh murmured.
"Confirms what?" I asked quietly.
Lucien answered before he could. "That the attack was organized."
His eyes never left mine. "And that they're planning something."
A chill crept up my spine.
"And their first step is testing the borders," Kael added grimly.
Grandmother stepped closer, her expression soft. "You were brave to speak, child."
Brave.
It didn't feel like bravery. It felt like standing at the edge of something vast and dangerous—like placing my head inside a beast's mouth and knowing there was no retreat too.
"We should take our leave, Alpha," Grandmother said, bowing. She gestured for me to do the same. And I complied.
Afterwards, she took my hand and led Vance and me toward the door.
"Amara."
The voice echoed inside my mind.
I froze.
It was the Alpha.
And now that my thoughts were clearer, it sounded exactly like the voice of my friend wolf.
L.
I turned slowly.
Lucien stood where he was, his expression unreadable. The room felt smaller. Quieter.
"I will come to you tonight," his voice resonated again in my head.
Why did he say it like it wasn't the first time?
"Amara?" Grandmother asked gently when she noticed I had stopped.
I forced a smile and shook my head.
But even I knew it wasn't convincing. I was sure my face showed the confusion that was brewing in my heart.
I took a step. Then another.
I didn't look back.
Because if I did, I wasn't sure I could walk away at all.