Chapter Seven

Zeil opened the door.

The hallway was quiet, but his heartbeat wasn’t.

His eyes darted around, scanning every corner. Every shadow. Where’s Kael? The corridor felt wider than usual, colder too but Kael was gone.

Gone without a trace.

Zeil’s chest tightened. His steps felt heavy as he walked down the stone path leading toward the Elders’ Hall. A voice whispered in his head, quiet but sharp. He told Father.

He told him everything.

Sweat rolled down Zeil’s back, and not from heat this time. His stomach twisted. I’m done for.

His father never summoned him here for praise. If the Lord Alpha called, it meant trouble at least 95% of the time. That number always felt too accurate.

Each step he took echoed off the marble floor. As he approached the wide double doors of the Elders Hall, memories began flashing behind his eyes. Every moment his father summoned him here.

The time he missed his second hunt trial.

The day he overslept and his father caught him in bed on an intense training morning.

The time he lost to his first trainer in combat-even though the man was twice his age and strength with experience of centuries. It didn’t matter. He was never allowed to lose.

To his father, weakness was unacceptable.

And failure? That was betrayal.

Zeil closed his eyes for only a second and his jaw as the thick doors of the Elders’ Hall slowly opened before him.

But what he saw next froze him where he stood.

Kael.

Standing right in the middle of the council.

Zeil’s heart dropped.

A rogue… inside the Elders’ Hall? That was a sight no one had ever seen. Not even the highest-ranking warriors had stepped into this hall more than two or three times in their entire lives.

Only the elite of elites entered here.

Even the main training captains whispered about the twin wolf statues that guarded the front pillars. Many warriors lived and died without ever passing these pillars. Not to talk of pack members.

Yet there he was.

Kael.

Standing like it was normal. Like he belonged.

Zeil’s legs moved on their own, stepping into the vast hall. The heavy silence felt like thick smoke. Every eye turned to him.

And at the center, sitting tall with a cold expression…

His father.

Lord Alpha.

That sharp stare dug into Zeil’s soul.

Without thinking, Zeil dropped to his knees. His forehead touched the ground.

“Father…” he choked. “I have failed. Do with me as you wish.”

Kael raised an eyebrow.

“I have not been the son you asked for,” Zeil continued. “I never knew it would get to this extent. I… I—”

“Zeil!”

The shout came like lightning.

In a blink, Elder Rion,an older man known for his calm and wisdom had moved from his chair and now stood by Zeil’s side. His speed was supernatural. Like air turned to wind and became him.

He grabbed Zeil’s arm, pulling him gently to his feet.

“What are you saying, child?” Elder Rion asked, eyes kind but stern. “The pack is strong. The borders are safe. The people sleep in peace . I hear you patrol the Eastern, Northern, and even Southern edges after every training session. That is more than even us in this hall do.”

Zeil’s breath caught in his throat.

“You haven’t failed anyone,” Elder Rion continued. “You are our pride. Our future Alpha. How dare you kneel before us?”

Zeil blinked then with his head rising slowly staring at his father. His father gave a small nod. Then he slowly stood, still shaken.

The other elders followed with subtle agreements except one. Elder Malgorn. He neither spoke nor nodded. He simply stared with cold, unreadable eyes.

But he didn’t object either.

Elder Rion was back in his seat in a blink, his robes barely rustled. Zeil’s hands trembled, but he took a deep breath.

Then his father spoke.

Low. Sharp. Just a few words, like a knife cutting through silence.

“You are both here for a task.”

Kael stood still.

Zeil kept his eyes down.

“This matter must be handled with care,” the Alpha continued. “Zeil will lead and see to it then matter is selected".

That was it.

No fluff. No long speeches.

Just a sentence that weighed more than a war.

Zeil’s thoughts swirled. So he doesn’t know... He swallowed hard. Then I’ll kill Kael with my own hands before he speaks.

But the Alpha’s next words forced him back to focus.

“The issue—”

He paused.

“…concerns the healer girl.”

Zeil’s eyes lifted slightly. That story again? The one Lopi told him a while back?

Lord Alpha continued, voice low and commanding.

“She was born to the Velmor family. Promised in marriage before birth to the Ironfang clan.”

Zeil remembered now. The healer girl who fell in love with someone else.

“The Ironfangs were promised a future wife. Now they are furious. The Velmor family sides with their daughter. They want her to marry a second-class warrior from their clan. One of our strongest.”

The Alpha’s voice darkened.

“This must not turn into war.”

Those words carried more threat than a thousand punishments.

He didn’t yell. He didn’t move.

But the aura around him thickened, and bloodlust coated the air like fog. Even the floor seemed to groan.

“You have two full moons.”

He said, still looking at Zeil, and the hall trembled with the echo of his words.

Followed by a few seconds of silence heavy with danger.

“Keep the peace.”

Then his gaze flicked to Kael.

“Assist him. Protect him.”

His eyes narrowed into a deadly slit.

“No failure.”

The sound of his voice was like thunder sealed in steel. Even the shadows stood still.

No one moved.

Five seconds passed in dead silence.

Then Elder Duran spoke.

A soft-spoken man with silver robes and closed eyes.

“Zeil, this is your first command. Your first responsibility under our trust. What you decide will tip the scale between peace and blood. You must hold justice like a sword.”

Zeil nodded. “Yes, Elder.”

Duran opened one eye. “And remember your word becomes law in this mission. Use it well.”

Then silence again, until the Lord Alpha gave the final command.

“You may leave.”

That was all.

Zeil bowed, so did Kael.

Keal then turned and walked out like none of this had touched him. Like the pressure of the entire pack’s future on his back was nothing.

Zeil followed, still shaking with relief.

‘So… it wasn’t about us’ Zeil's wolf had whispered when the breath Zeil never knew he was holding escaped.

Kael walked ahead, silent. Like the bloodlust that filled the hall hadn’t scratched him.

As they exited, Zeil heard Elder Rion speak again, voice calm and proud.

“My Lord,” he said, “you have a promising son. He will lead us far. Even farther than you did in your prime.”

Another elder nodded. “He fought among the second and third-class warriors during the rogue invasion five full moons ago. His courage was unmatched.”

But a cold voice cut through.

Elder Malgorn.

“Hmph,that was a skirmish. Those rogues were nothing more than hungry dogs. Their strength barely reached our peak third class warriors. Why such praise?”

His smile was twisted but dangerous.

His tone emitting a sense of mocking while the others went silent.

Then Elder Kyros, calm and smooth, spoke.

“I was in seclusion during that battle,” he said with eyes closed. “But I wish I had seen him. It’s rare to find young blood that stands firm when danger howls.”

Some nodded in agreement.

Others stayed quiet.

It was clear.

The council was divided.

And with a voice softer than the wind, lord Alpha spoke.

“…This afternoon, Council meeting is dismissed”

Every of the Council Elders vanished with only the Lord Alpha left in the hall.

He only raised his head and stared at the ceiling. His eyes are unreadable.

Then he whispered to himself—

“Zeil, don’t disappoint me.”