Chapter 7 - The Gathering Storm
The grand hall erupted into chaos. Tables scraped back against the stone floor, chairs overturned, and the deep, guttural growls of warriors preparing for war echoed off the vaulted ceilings.
Kyle was on his feet in an instant, his chair clattering backward. His face hardened into an expression of cold, lethal focus as his alpha aura flared, instantly subduing the rising panic among the lower-ranking wolves.
"How many?" Kyle demanded, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade.
"At least three hundred," the scout panted, pressing a hand to a bleeding gash on his shoulder. "Led by General Vane himself. They brought siege breakers and shadow-stalkers. They’re burning everything in their path."
Enia stood up slowly.
There was no panic in her eyes, no hesitation in her movements. As she rose, the air in the great hall grew noticeably warmer. The torches mounted along the stone walls flared brighter, their flames turning from a standard amber to a brilliant, incandescent white-gold.
"Vane," Enia said, the name tasting like ash on her tongue. "The same monster who led the raids on the human frontier twenty-four years ago."
Kyle glanced at her, sensing the immense, coiled reservoir of power vibrating beneath her calm exterior. "Enia, their army is massive. We can hold them at the narrow gorge, but—"
"We aren't going to hide behind barricades, Kyle," Enia interrupted, her voice ringing with absolute authority. She stepped down from the dais, the glowing runes of the Primordial Fire beginning to trace themselves across her skin once more, casting a brilliant, ethereal light across the dark hall. "They came looking for the fire. It’s time we gave them a proper welcome."
She turned to face the hundreds of Moon Ash warriors standing in the hall, their eyes fixed on her with a mixture of fanatical devotion and fierce, unbroken loyalty.
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"For seven years, this pack was taught to cower," Enia’s voice boomed, magically amplified to reach every corner of the fortress. "You were taught that strength meant cruelty, that power meant oppression, and that survival meant betrayal. Tonight, we show them what real strength looks like!"
A collective roar shook the rafters—not the panicked howling of a mob, but the unified, thunderous battle cry of a proud pack reborn in fire.
