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Fenrik Ashvain was standing before his own pack when he publicly rejected the woman carrying his children. / Chapter 12 / 20

Chapter 12 - Whispers in the Capital

Far to the south, thousands of leagues away from the biting frost of the northern mountains, the marble halls of the Capital were bathed in the soft, deceptive glow of crystal chandeliers.

In a secluded, velvet-draped parlor, Lord Vane Kale paced back and forth across the Persian rug, his face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. The fine porcelain cup he had been holding shattered against the stone hearth as he hurled it into the flames.

"Incompetent fools!" Vane roared, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "An entire battalion of elite mercenaries, backed by anti-magic chains and royal inquisitors, routed by a single broken Alpha and a woman carrying infants?!"

Standing near the shadows of the doorway, his arm bound tightly in a silk sling, Cassian Kale winced. His face was still pale from the humiliation of the dungeon defeat.

"Father, you don't understand," Cassian muttered, his voice tight with lingering dread. "It wasn't just physical strength. When that golden light broke... it wasn't a normal wolf. It was something ancient. Something the archives said was buried centuries ago with the first founders."

Vane stopped pacing. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he stared at his son. "Ancient or not, it is flesh and blood. And flesh can be broken. If the northern strongholds slip from our grasp, the entire eastern trade route collapses. The other high houses will smell our weakness."

"Then what do we do?" Cassian asked, stepping into the flickering lamplight. "The Royal Tribunal won't send another open military expedition without proof of treason. Fenrik and Revna have closed the mountain passes tighter than a drum."

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A slow, chilling smile spread across Vane Kale's face. He walked over to a heavy oak desk, pulled open a secret drawer, and withdrew a small, ornate lead box sealed with black wax—the sigil of the Shadow-Weavers, an outlawed guild of dark assassins.

"We don't send an army, my son," Vane whispered, his voice dropping to a toxic hiss. "We send a shadow. Let us see how well their golden wolf protects them when the poison is already in their cups."

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Chapter 13 - Shadows Over the Stronghold
Chapter 14 - The Viper's Strike
Chapter 15 - The Armory Trap
Chapter 16 - March on the Kale Estate
Chapter 17 - The Fall of the House of Kale
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