The eastern provinces refused to bend.
Valleys and rivers hid small armies, trade cities whispered of rebellion, and lords dared to defy the Wolf openly—though quietly.
Aren studied the maps with Lysa and Caelis.
"The east has strength in numbers," he said.
"But strength without discipline is chaos. And chaos is easily broken."
Small units of the Shadow Army infiltrated the trade routes.
Merchants received false orders. Supplies vanished. Guards turned against each other.
The eastern cities began to distrust their own allies before the Wolf even appeared.
Meanwhile, Rowan attempted to rally resistance from Greyhaven.
Letters to eastern lords, promises of support, threats of punishment.
But every message was intercepted, every plan undermined.
Aren smiled faintly.
"Rebellion is a luxury they can no longer afford," he murmured.
"Fear and deception will bend them without a single siege."
By night, eastern strongholds began to fracture.
Lords turned against lords. Soldiers muttered doubts. Civilians whispered of the unseen Wolf.
Even those who resisted openly found themselves isolated.
Lysa reported from the field:
"They still resist… but they are afraid. Hesitation spreads faster than armies."
"Yes," Aren replied. "And hesitation is obedience in disguise. The Wolf does not conquer by force alone; he conquers by patience, fear, and inevitability."
The first eastern town surrendered quietly, leaving their banners lowered and gates unlocked.
The Wolf's shadow had reached them.
And Greyhaven knew: the eastern resistance would crumble like all the rest, one whispered fear at a time.