Chapter 16: Trade Wars

Nyra's POV

The letters arrive within the same hour.

I'm in the neutral territory clearing when Elena finds me, breathless from running. She holds three sealed envelopes, each bearing a different pack's insignia.

"They all came at once," she says. "Riverbend, Mistwood, and Clearwater."

I take them carefully. The seals are formal, official. The kind of correspondence that changes things.

I open Riverbend first.

After careful consideration, Riverbend Pack formally declines Alpha Draven's trade proposal and accepts the terms offered by Nyra Vale, the Moonshadow. We believe this arrangement better serves our pack's needs and values.

Mistwood's letter says essentially the same thing. So does Clearwater's.

Three packs. Three rejections of Silverclaw in favor of me.

Elena watches my face. "Is this good?"

"It's dangerous."

"But they chose you."

"They chose fairness over power." I fold the letters. "The Council won't forgive that."

"Let them try to stop us."

I look at her. At the determination in her eyes, the way she stands straighter now than she did three weeks ago. The healing I gave her changed more than just her bond scar.

It gave her hope.

And hope makes people brave.

"We need to move faster," I say. "If the Council retaliates, we need to be ready."

"The Sanctuary Den?"

"Yes. It's time."

We've been planning it for weeks. A permanent safe house in neutral territory, visible and deliberate. A place where rejected wolves can find refuge without hiding.

It's a direct challenge to Council authority.

And I want them to see it.

By nightfall, the foundation is laid. By dawn, the structure stands complete. It's not large, but it's solid. Real.

A statement.

I stand in the doorway as the sun rises, watching light spill across the threshold. Behind me, Elena and six other omegas are arranging supplies. Creating something that looks like home.

"They're going to come for you," Elena says quietly.

"I know."

"And you're doing this anyway."

"Yes."

She moves to stand beside me. "Why?"

I think about the question. About the girl I was five years ago, broken and alone. About every omega I've met since who wore the same hollow expression I once carried.

"Because someone has to," I say finally. "And it might as well be me."

The first refugees arrive that afternoon. A young omega fleeing a forced bond. An elderly delta whose pack abandoned him when he grew too weak to contribute.

By evening, twelve wolves have found sanctuary.

The Council's response arrives the next morning.

A formal summons. Not for me. . .for Kael.

I shouldn't care. His problems aren't mine anymore.

But the corrupted bond pulses in my chest, and I know he's reading the same words. Feeling the same pressure.

Alpha Draven's failure to contain the Moonshadow constitutes a threat to pack stability. The Council demands immediate action. Bring her to heel or face removal.

Mira finds me three hours later in the forest behind the Sanctuary Den.

"We need to talk," she says.

I don't turn around. "About what?"

"About the fact that you just made Kael choose between his pack and you."

"I didn't make him do anything."

"You established a sanctuary in direct violation of Council law. You took three trade agreements out from under him. You're systematically dismantling his authority." Mira steps closer. "You know exactly what you're doing."

"I'm protecting wolves the system abandoned."

"And destroying Kael in the process."

The words hit harder than they should. I force myself to face her.

"He destroyed me first."

"I know." Mira's expression is complicated. "But that doesn't mean you have to return the favor."

"I'm not trying to destroy him. I'm trying to survive."

"Are you?" She crosses her arms. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're trying to make him feel what you felt. The humiliation. The powerlessness. The choice between dignity and survival."

My hands clench into fists. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I? I watched him read the Council's ultimatum this morning. He has three days to decide. Bring you in for judgment or lose everything he's built."

The bond twists in my chest. Pain mixed with something I don't want to name.

"That's not my problem."

"Isn't it?" Mira's voice softens. "You still feel the bond. I can see it every time someone mentions his name. You're not as detached as you pretend to be."

"The bond is corrupted."

"But it's still there."

Silence stretches between us. Around us, the forest is quiet except for wind moving through leaves and the distant sound of wolves settling into the sanctuary.

"What do you want from me?" I ask finally.

"I want you to be honest. With yourself if not with me."

"I am being honest."

"Then tell me you don't care what happens to him."

The words stick in my throat.

I want to say them. Want to mean them.

But the bond pulses, and I remember the courtyard. His hand covering mine over his heart. The way he looked at me like I was something precious he'd lost and found again.

"It doesn't matter if I care," I say instead. "He made his choice five years ago."

"And you're making yours now." Mira turns to leave, then pauses. "Just remember that revenge and justice aren't the same thing. One heals. The other just spreads the wound."

She disappears into the trees.

I stand alone, watching shadows lengthen across the ground.

The sanctuary behind me is full of wolves who need protection. Who need someone to stand between them and a system designed to break them.

And ahead of me, in Silverclaw territory, Kael is reading a letter that demands he choose.

His pack or me.

Duty or the mate he rejected.

Three days.

The Council has given him three days to decide.