{Third Person}

Human Clan.

The letters arrived at the Human Parliament just before noon the following day, carried with a level of formality that immediately drew attention.

They were not treated as ordinary correspondence. The royal seal stamped onto each envelope was unmistakable.

A few ministers gathered around as one of them carefully broke the accompanying notice, his brows pulling together slightly as he read through it. The others leaned in, curious, exchanging low murmurs among themselves.

"The Werewolf King sent these?"

"For private individuals?"

"And through us?"

The questions came one after another, laced with both confusion and caution. It was unusual—far too unusual.

The Werewolf Kingdom did not go through such lengths for something as personal as letter delivery, and certainly not with this level of protocol. Still, the instructions were clear.

The minister folded the notice and handed the letters over to the attendants. "Have them delivered immediately. And inform the recipients that any reply must be routed back through the Parliament before it is sent out."

The attendants bowed and left without delay.

The letters were delivered that same afternoon, each one handled with care and accompanied by the same message: any response must pass through the Parliament before reaching the Werewolf Kingdom.

Hazel received hers first.

She noticed the seal the moment it was placed in her hands, and her heart skipped before she could even process why. She stepped inside quickly, barely closing the door before tearing it open.

Her eyes scanned the first line, then froze.

"...Amara?"

The name left her lips in disbelief.

Relief followed almost immediately, rushing through her so fast it made her grip tighten around the paper.

But as she continued reading, that relief slowly blended with confusion, then something heavier. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

—

Rachel was more composed when her own letter arrived, but that composure didn’t last long. She sat down before opening it, her movements careful, almost cautious. However, the moment her eyes fell on the familiar handwriting, her expression softened.

"Where have you been..." she murmured quietly, her voice trailing off as she read further.

—

Davina didn’t bother with composure at all.

She broke the seal immediately, standing in the middle of her room as her eyes moved quickly across the page. Her reaction was more expressive, her brows rising, then tightening as she absorbed each line.

"Her phone was taken?"

"And she tried to write to her father..."

She paused, her grip tightening slightly. "And it never reached him?"

Though the three women were in different places, the realization settled the same way for all three of them.

Amara had not abandoned them. She had been cut off.

By the time they reached the end of their letters, each of them had gone quiet, the weight of Amara’s words lingering in their minds. She missed them. She wanted to hear from them.

She had even tried to get them to attend the welcome banquet at the Werewolf Kingdom, only for her efforts to fail without her knowledge.

That alone was enough to stir something deep within them.

Hazel was the first to act. She picked up her phone almost immediately and dialled.

"I got a letter from Amara," she said the moment the call connected.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then Rachel’s voice came through, just as surprised. "Me too."

Before the call could end, another line came in. Davina.

"I thought I was the only one," she said quickly. "I just finished reading it."

The three of them didn’t need much discussion after that.

They had to meet.

—

Rachel’s house became the meeting point.

Hazel and Davina arrived not long after, both still holding their letters as though they were afraid to let them out of their sight.

The moment they stepped inside, the conversation began without restraint.

"She said her phone was taken—"

"And she tried to reach us through her father—"

"But the letter never got to him."

"That means someone interfered."

The words hung in the air, and though none of them said it directly, the same name crossed their minds.

Lila.

They all knew how evil and manipulative she was, so her name was the first to come to their minds.

And they hadn’t even considered the possibility of the letter being intercepted by the Werewolf Kingdom, or even by their own Parliament.

Davina crossed her arms, pacing slightly as she thought it through. "So she had no way to reach us. That’s why she disappeared like that."

Hazel nodded slowly. "And she wanted us there. At the banquet."

Rachel looked down at her letter again, her expression tightening. "She must have been waiting for us."

That realization settled heavily between them, and for a brief moment, none of them spoke. Then Hazel broke the silence.

"Do we tell her?"

Rachel and Davina both looked up.

"You mean about Lila and Torin?" Davina asked.

Hazel nodded. "They have been everywhere together. And now they are engaged."

Rachel frowned slightly, clearly conflicted. "She is already dealing with so much."

"But what if she hears it from someone else?" Hazel countered. "Or finds out later and thinks we hid it from her?"

Davina exhaled slowly. "She deserves to know."

Rachel hesitated for a moment longer before finally nodding. "You are right. It’s better coming from us."

There was no ill intent behind their decision. Only concern and honesty.

They sat down together, pulling out fresh sheets of paper as they began to write their replies.

Each of them took their time, choosing their words carefully, making sure that what they sent back carried not just information, but warmth, reassurance, and the connection they had all been missing.

Unaware that the truth they were preparing to gently deliver was something Amara had already faced on her own.

═════ ❄✦❄ ═════

Werewolf Clan.

The evening before the Hunt carried a different kind of weight across the palace.

It was the kind of atmosphere that reminded everyone that what was coming was not just tradition, but something important.

On Alexander’s side of the residence, Jasper stepped into the study with three sealed envelopes in his hands.

"Your Highness."

Alexander was seated behind his desk, a document open before him, though his attention shifted the moment Jasper approached.

Without unnecessary words, Jasper presented the letters. "They have arrived."