Weeks passed in a deceptive calm. The Golden Leaf Casket, radiating its gentle, steady gold light, was secured deep beneath the university in a new vault near the Foundation Stone, guarded by rotating shifts of the Pack.
However, Esther and Samuel noticed the insidious shift Fortune had predicted. The Pack, free from the existential pressure of the dying Stone, was becoming lax and distracted. Alpha Bamidele, the interim leader, was struggling to enforce discipline.
The wolves, unbound from the constant struggle of controlling their change, began indulging in their freedom—taking risks, exploring territories, and neglecting the stringent rules of vigilance. The overwhelming scent of pine on campus was now mixed with carelessness.
One afternoon, Esther and Samuel were reviewing Madam Chinwe's notes in a secluded campus courtyard, trying to decipher any lingering weaknesses in the Golden Leaf Casket.
"The Pack's security reports are sloppy," Samuel noted, scrolling through an encrypted message on his phone. "Obinna missed his patrol shift yesterday. He was seen at a club in town until 4 AM. They're celebrating, Esther, but they're exposing themselves."
"Fortune is waiting for this," Esther whispered, tapping the Golden Leaf's entry in the diary. "The Casket's strength is its stability, but its weakness is its immobility. It must remain near the Stone. That makes it a fixed target."
"If he attacks now, we can only rely on the wolves who are on shift," Samuel worried. "The full force of the Pack is scattered."
Just then, a sleek, black, unmarked drone—smaller than a bird—flew silently over their heads, lingering for a fraction of a second before darting away.
Samuel's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "That's not university security. That's surveillance. He's confirming the Pack's negligence."
"He's planning the attack," Esther concluded, feeling a cold knot of dread tighten in her stomach. "He won't attack the vault, Samuel. He'll attack the system. He'll hit the weakest link in the chain."
"The weakest link is the Keeper," Samuel said grimly, pulling her into the shelter of a giant hibiscus bush. "If he captures you, he can force you to open the vault and touch the Casket, thereby destabilizing it and claiming its energy."
"No," Esther countered, shaking her head. "The Golden Leaf is stable because it no longer needs the Keeper's life force. He knows that. The weakest link is the wolf who is now defined by his freedom—the wolf who is most likely to break and risk everything for love."
"Me," Samuel realized, his face pale with understanding. "He won't target the Casket, or even the Keeper. He'll target the Wolf of the New Pact."