Chapter 42. Caged Flame

The silence of the Council chambers was a heavy, suffocating thing, pressing down on the air like a lid clamped tight over a pot of boiling rage. It was worse than any snarl or shout; it was the quiet of judgment already passed, merely waiting for the formal declaration.

Aria sat beside Kade, physically whole but psychically frayed. The prophecy vision had burned itself into her mind—the silver wolf, the fire, the cage. And the mark. Even now, beneath the borrowed tunic Kade’s aunt had given her, the glowing lunar tattoo across her spine felt like a cold, silver brand.

They were in the inner sanctum of the Blood Court, a circular room carved into the oldest mountain peak near Crescent Ridge. The air tasted of iron and ancient, stale magic. Seven of the most powerful Alpha elders sat on tiered stone seats, their faces carved masks of severity. They represented the highest authority—the governing body that dictated law, lineage, and execution within the ranked wolf society