Chapter 23: The Gathering Storm

The air in the packhouse felt heavy and unfriendly, as though the walls themselves were filled with suspicion and fear. Aveline walked fast around her room, replaying the chaotic council meeting in her mind. Miriam's collapse had shaken everyone, but it had shaken her most of all.

She glanced at the note left under her door days ago, the one warning her of a spy within her pack. Its secret words now felt like a dark prophecy fulfilled. The poisoned council meeting had only deepened the fractures she had been trying to mend among her pack.

She needed answers, and fast the answers must be achieved.

Aveline returned to the council chamber under the guise of reviewing records. Her sharp eyes checked every detail of the room, including people's body language. Near Miriam's chair, she found a tiny, shining residue on the wooden surface. She sniffed it cautiously. The faint, bitter smell triggered her memory.