Every alliance comes with a price.
I stared at the message for a full minute. The photo of the sealed envelope. The split wolf's head symbol. The warning about betrayal from within Darius's inner circle.
Someone close to him. Someone we trusted. Someone who might be working against us.
The auditorium was still in chaos around me. Pack Enforcement escorting council members out. Students arguing about what they'd witnessed. Faculty trying to restore order.
But all I could focus on was that message.
"Elara?" Darius's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "What's wrong?"
I looked up. He stood close, concern and exhaustion written across his features. Behind him, Caleb and Celeste watched with worried expressions.
The people I'd come to depend on. The ones who'd helped me survive assassination attempts and navigate impossible politics.
And one of them might be compromised.
"Nothing," I said, tucking my phone away. "Just processing everything."
