“That is all we need to discuss today, gentlemen. I must return to my Luna, or I’ll never hear the end of it if I’m late for her ceremony.” Darius’s voice cut through the murmurs like a knife, a practiced, genial tone that barely masked the impatience beneath.
They had gathered in his office — a wide room of timber and stone where the allied Alphas came to speak of border lines, trade, and the rising threat of rogues. Today’s meeting had been brisk but necessary: reports of increasing raids, wounded scouts, and stolen livestock. Darius had promised reinforcements, new tracking systems, and traps set along the most vulnerable borders. His assurances drew light laughter, claps on backs, the easy camaraderie of leaders who had weathered storms together.
Some of those leaders laughed with hi
