Silver and full, the moon hung heavy in the night sky, creating long shadows on Silverwind Pack's rooftops. Candlelight flickered against Serafina's resolute face as she sat at her writing desk in her chambers. Roman was by the door, quietly admiring her as she dipped her quill into ink and started writing.
Mom,
I write to you as your daughter, the girl you taught that peace is worth fighting for, and sometimes worth breaking for, rather than as the Luna of Silverwind.
There is a threat lurking beneath our allied nations' soil. Under Silverwind, Roman and I discovered a secret acolyte—a Hollow Alpha servant who almost bound us in a prohibited ceremony. We think he was one of many. They are patient and their creed endures.
Borders and broken hearts are no longer relevant here. This is about surviving—about truth that has been suppressed and is now resurfacing.
I'm requesting a private council. No guards, no banners. Father and you are the only leaders who know what's at risk. Whitedawn's Luna Evelyn and Alpha Marcus. Luna Henrietta of Tailwind and Alpha Samuel.
We need to communicate the old-fashioned way, without politics and with trust.
Come, please. Bring the old documents. And bring your strength because we might need more than just diplomacy to deal with what lies ahead.
Serafina
The letter shuddered a little in her hand as she sealed it with the Nightwind crest. Roman came over and placed a comforting hand over hers.
He whispered, "They'll listen."
"They must," Serafina answered in a firm but quiet voice. "We cannot defeat shadows on our own."
The message was delivered to Barduff Castle the following morning by a swift-winged hawk.
As she read the letter in her solar at Barduff Castle, Leah's hands shook a little. Shortly after, Jacob came in, feeling her anxiety.
Leah handed him the parchment and said, "She's calling a secret council."
After reading quietly, Jacob turned to face the rising sun outside the window. "We haven't seen what she has."
With pride and concern in her eyes, Leah whispered, "She's turned into the exact type of Luna I hoped she would be."
After that, Jacob said, "We ride."
A Few Days Later, the Circle Convenes
Six wolves stood beneath the carved ceiling of intertwined wolves and stars in the old meeting hall in the center of neutral territory, which had once been used by the Founders themselves.
Eyes steady, Serafina moved into the center. To her right, Roman stood, stoic and silent.
Leah's hand was softly resting on Serafina's shoulder as Jacob and Leah stood to her left. Next to arrive were Alpha Marcus and Luna Evelyn, then Alpha Samuel and Luna Henrietta.
Until the large iron doors closed, nobody spoke.
A new scroll, a copy of the Hollow Alpha's creed, was unrolled by Serafina. "This is the situation we're in," she stated. Not only rogue ideologies. a resurgence of the darkness we believed to be extinct.
And they won't just burn our forests if we don't prepare," Roman continued. Our futures will be burned by them.
There was a heavy silence in the room.
Jacob then moved forward. "We get ready. Together.
And the Circle of Allies was born again, this time to fight the invisible enemy that was skulking around in the shadows of their past, not to fight other packs.