King Elijah’s private chamber felt smaller tonight.

Tension had narrowed the air, compressed it, and made every breath feel heavier.

King Elijah stood near the council table with Torak’s report spread open before him. The parchment looked harmless beneath candlelight despite the horror written across it.

The king had read the report four times already.

It still felt unreal.

The chamber doors opened heavily behind him.

Nate entered first.

Xander followed immediately after, still visibly furious from earlier. Alaric came last, quieter than both of them. Almost no one had seen him around for days now.

The doors shut behind them.

No one spoke immediately.

Elijah looked at his sons carefully. Three future disasters if he handled this wrong.

"Sit," he ordered.

None of them obeyed immediately.

Xander folded his arms tightly across his chest. Nate remained near the doors instead, jaw already clenched. Alaric leaned lightly against one side of the chamber wall, silent and watchful.

Elijah exhaled slowly. He decided to go on without their correspondence. "Torak returned from the eastern borders."

That got their attention instantly.

Nate straightened slightly. "And?"

Elijah stared at him for a long second before sliding the parchment across the table. "Read."

Xander grabbed it first.

The further down the report his eyes moved, the darker his face became.

Alaric took the parchment next.

Nate watched both of them impatiently before finally snatching it from Alaric’s hand himself.

Silence filled the room again.

Then, Nate’s expression changed completely. "The humans did this?" he asked quietly.

Elijah nodded once.

"They restrained wolves," Alaric muttered, rereading portions of the report. "First the veil, and now, they study wolves?"

"Experimented on them," Xander corrected darkly.

Nate kept reading. His jaw flexed violently as he went through every single word written down.

"They knew patrol routes," Nate noted, still reading through.

Torak had already mentioned it earlier, but hearing it aloud again thickened the atmosphere further.

"There’s a leak," Alaric said quietly.

"No," Nate corrected coldly. "There’s betrayal."

King Elijah remained silent.

Nate looked up sharply, straight into King Elijah’s eyes. "How long have we known humans were organizing?"

Xander answered before Elijah could. "Torak suspected unusual movements weeks ago."

Nate’s eyes snapped toward him immediately. "Weeks?"

Xander’s expression hardened. "Nothing confirmed this level of escalation until now."

Nate scoffed. "Weeks ago, and you waited?"

Xander’s jaw tightened instantly. "Careful."

"No," Nate snapped immediately. "You be careful."

The room temperature seemed to drop.

Nate stepped forward now, fury visibly building beneath his skin.

"You had reports, suspicion, human movement, and you waited?"

Xander moved toward him immediately. "Charging blindly into human territory starts wars. We haven’t had that in centuries."

Nate’s eyes darkened. "And now?" He gestured violently toward the parchment. "Now wolves are nailed to trees while humans test dosages through their ribs."

Alaric watched both of them quietly.

Nate turned fully toward Elijah now. "This is what happens when fear makes us hesitate."

Xander scoffed harshly. He eyed Nate, and stated the obvious. "You would have massacred half the border settlements based on suspicion."

"And they would have feared us enough not to try this." Nate threw back sharply.

"That is exactly the kind of thinking that starts extinction."

Nate took a step closer. "Weakness starts extinction." He correctly coldly.

Xander’s wolf surged close to the surface instantly.

Alaric pushed off the wall slowly.

"Elijah made you heir for diplomacy," Nate continued coldly. "Not for war, and clearly that was a mistake."

Xander’s eyes flashed with glint of anger. "You think brutality is leadership?"

Nate gnatched his teeth. "I think dead wolves are consequences of your so calm leadership." He yelled at Xander’s face.

"Nate," Elijah warned sharply.

Nate ignored him completely.

He pointed toward the report again. "They’ve built military camps on our borders...." He scoffed in disbelief and realization at the same time. "...while this kingdom spends every waking second screaming about Aire."

The room went quiet. Drop dead quiet at the mention of Aire’s name. That name changed everything now.

Alaric’s expression darkened instantly.

Nate pushed harder. "I’m wondering how you’d break this to the wolves, that we hunted the wrong threat."

Alaric laughed softly then. "You say that now?" he finallys spoke, visibly mocking Nate.

Nate turned sharply toward him.

Alaric straightened slowly from the wall. "For days," he said quietly, "she sat underground because you exposed her."

Nate’s expression went still.

Xander looked away briefly.

Alaric stepped forward now. "And while humans prepare for war, the woman carrying the prophecy sat chained beneath this castle because the great Alpha Nate lost control of his fear."

"Nobody lost more control than you," Nate said coldly.

Alaric smiled without warmth. "At least I did not try to kill her first, stupid."

The atmosphere snapped instantly.

Nate moved before Elijah could speak. His claws partially extended, fast and violent, ready to attack.

Alaric’s wolf surged immediately in response.

Xander stepped between them instantly. "Enough." He ordered.

However, neither listened.

Alaric’s eyes had gone dangerously dark now. "You know what’s funny?" he asked quietly.

Nate stared at him murderously.

Alaric tilted his head slightly. "For the first time in my bloody life..." his voice lowered, rough with hatred now, "...I wish I were human."

Silence followed his words. Dead silence.

Even Elijah straightened fully at the words.

Alaric continued anyway. "So I’d be the one driving every dosage they created straight through your heart."

Nate snapped. "Take that back," he snarled instantly.

The walls trembled slightly beneath the force of his wolf. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Alaric stepped forward without hesitation. "Or what?"

Nate moved.

Xander caught him first.

He barely caught him, as the force behind Nate’s movement nearly dragged both of them sideways across the chamber floor.

Alaric’s claws slid free fully now.

"You think I won’t kill you first?" Nate barked violently.

"You should have thought about that before touching her throat."

"Nobody regrets that more than I do."

"You handed them the key!"

"Father!" Xander barked sharply as both men nearly collided again.

King Elijah moved that time. Power exploded through the chamber instantly, as his wolf took control. "ENOUGH!"

The force behind his Alpha command cracked through the room like thunder.

Every single one of them froze instinctively, even Nate.

The king’s eyes had darkened fully now.

For one terrible second, he looked less like a ruler and more like the ancient Alpha bloodline wolves whispered about.

"I will not bury one son because the others cannot control themselves."

Silence followed his words immediately afterward. Heavy breathing filled the chamber.

Nate slowly straightened, and Alaric looked away first. Xander on the other hand exhaled harshly through his nose.

King Elijah stared at all three of them with visible exhaustion now. "Do you think I do not understand what this situation is becoming?"

Nobody answered.

King Elijah stepped toward the fire slowly.

"When your mother died," he said quietly, "I nearly burned this kingdom to the ground searching for something to punish."

The room stilled.

Nate looked at him properly now.

King Elijah rarely spoke about her. Ever.

"The faes took her from me," Elijah continued. "And there were nights I genuinely wished for war because grief needed somewhere to go."

His voice remained controlled, but raw pain still lived beneath it.

"I know what mates do to wolves."

Alaric lowered his gaze briefly.

Xander’s jaw tightened.

King Elijah turned back toward them now. "And that is exactly why Aire frightens me. She has fae blood, and was given to all three of you."