LOGINSebastian’s POVMy father’s hesitation was brief.But it was real.In all my years standing beside him—behind him—I had never seen Alpha Lucian pause without already knowing the outcome. His authority had always been decisive, immovable. A blade that never wavered.Now, that blade hovered.The council felt it. I saw it in the way some Alphas leaned forward, hope flickering despite themselves. Others stiffened, sensing control slipping through their fingers.Alpha Korr broke first.“This is manipulation,” he snarled. “Fear-mongering dressed as scholarship. The Archive Stone is incomplete—”“The Archive Stone is law,” the eldest councilor cut in sharply. “Older than any of us.”Lucian lifted his gaze slowly.“Enough,” he said.The room obeyed at once.“I will not deny the clause,” he continued. “Yes, sovereignty becomes custodial under divine arbitration. Yes, heirs inherit conditionally.”A ripple of shock passed through those who had supported him for selfish gain. Several paled. One
Astrid’s POVThe council did not disperse into the night.It dissolved into strategy.Groups formed in alcoves and shadowed corridors, voices low, smiles sharp. Promises were not made openly—they were implied. Favors hinted. Old debts dragged out like ghosts that refused to stay buried.This was Lucian’s true battlefield.Not the ritual circle.Not the god.The council.Alpha Marrow approached me first, alone this time—a calculated choice.“You’ve unsettled them,” he said, studying me as though I were a weapon newly revealed. “That takes courage. Or recklessness.”“Which one are you hoping for?” I asked.He smiled thinly. “Whichever keeps my borders intact.”There it was.“What do you want?” I asked plainly.“Assurance,” he replied. “That if Lucian falls, the vacuum won’t swallow the rest of us.”I let my Alpha presence surface—not flaring, not demanding. Steady. A reminder of balance rather than threat.“There will be no vacuum,” I said. “Sebastian and I aren’t here to replace a god.
Sebastian’s POVThe council did not adjourn.It fractured.Voices rose like clashing blades—old alliances snapping under the pressure of Astrid’s declaration. Alphas who had ruled for decades suddenly sounded uncertain, their authority wobbling as the chamber itself recalibrated around a new axis.Two Alphas.Equal claim.Opposed.My father, Alpha Lucian stood unmoving at the center of it all, hands clasped behind his back, as though the storm belonged to someone else. I knew that posture. It was the stance he took when a plan failed—but another one was already unfolding.“The Dual Sovereignty Provision has not been invoked in centuries,” an elder snarled. “It’s impractical.”“It’s law,” Astrid replied coolly. “And the law still listens.”Her voice carried Alpha command now—not sharp, not cruel. It didn’t demand obedience. It expected it. I felt the bond between us tighten, not possessive, but steady. Two pillars bracing the same collapsing roof.My father finally spoke again. “If t
Astrid’s POVThe Alpha Hall was already awake when we arrived.Torches burned too steadily along the stone walls, their flames controlled—disciplined—like everything Lucian touched. The circular chamber hummed with low voices, the sound of wolves pretending this was just another meeting, another night, another decision that wouldn’t fracture the world.But my skin knew better.The council ring sat at the center, carved with lunar glyphs worn smooth by centuries of argument and bloodshed. Twelve seats. Twelve votes. Twelve ways to end everything.Lucian stood at the head of the chamber when we entered.Alpha Lucian did not look like a man about to summon a god.He looked calm.That was the most terrifying part.His presence didn’t press against me the way raw power did. It didn’t roar or dominate. It waited. Like a door politely held open while the world decided whether to step through.Sebastian stiffened beside me. I felt it instantly—the familiar pull of father to son, Alpha to heir
Astrid’s POV Lucian’s endgame is no longer about power and that was what terrified me now Power announces itself Power is not quite Power is loud But Lucian’s plans seemed quiet What Lucian wanted was permission Permission from the council I got to realize this when I stood alone in the old training ring that had been off-limits for quite some time now. The training ground was an abandoned stone circle where pups would normally train to learn their first shifts and where young Alphas learned in the lower ground without any guard or guide. I stood alone without anyone watching me, not even Sebastian. I needed this space. The night was just moonlight and truth. The atmosphere is so pure. I closed my fingers around the relic in my hand and I took a deep and slow breath. “Just a little,” I whispered. “It won’t cause any harm,” I assured myself that I wasn’t going to open anything. Then the air around responded like they understood me all along. The air
Astrid’s POV Lucian’s endgame is no longer about power and that was what terrified me now Power announces itself Power is not quite Power is loud But Lucian’s plans seemed quiet What Lucian wanted was permission Permission from the council I got to realize this when I stood alone in the old training ring that had been off-limits for quite some time now. The training ground was an abandoned stone circle where pups would normally train to learn their first shifts and where young Alphas learned in the lower ground without any guard or guide. I stood alone without anyone watching me, not even Sebastian. I needed this space. The night was just moonlight and truth. The atmosphere is so pure. I closed my fingers around the relic in my hand and I took a deep and slow breath. “Just a little,” I whispered. “It won’t cause any harm,” I assured myself that I wasn’t going to open anything. Then the air around responded like they understood me all along. The air







