Page 51 of When Two Worlds Collide

Something shifts in her expression—uncertainty fracturing her resolve.

“What are you saying?”

“That perhaps change doesn’t mean what you think it means.” I reach forward, not quite touching her face. “Perhaps neither of us truly understands what the other represents.”

A sharp knock interrupts whatever reply forms on her lips. We freeze, inches apart, both breathing too rapidly.

“Ember?” Kade’s voice penetrates the door. “Emergency council session. Now.”

Her eyes widen. “What’s happened?”

“Alliance forces are mobilizing.” Urgency edges hiswords. “All available members to the war chamber immediately.”

She brushes past me, yanking open the door. Kade stands in the hallway, expression grave until his gaze settles on me. His nostrils flare slightly, detecting our mingled scents.

“Alpha Blackthorn,” he acknowledges, quickly recovering. “You should join us. This concerns your pack directly.”

I follow them through corridors that blur with speed, tension building with each step. The war chamber lives up to its name—maps covering every surface, communication arrays blinking with incoming reports, council members already arguing as we enter.

“What’s happening?” Ember demands, addressing no one in particular.

Elena Brightwood steps forward. “Alliance defensive forces have begun mobilizing. They’ll establish containment perimeters around all wild territories within forty-eight hours.”

“Forty-eight hours?” Ember’s shock echoes my own. “The council agreed to a seven-day grace period!”

“The Mountain Bears attacked another settlement three hours ago.” Elena’s expression hardens. “Seventeen dead, including children. The Vampire-Dragon Alliance overruled our timeline.”

Ice floods my veins. Another attack. More deaths that Stormcrow will ensure all wild shifters are blamed for.

“My pack had nothing to do with this,” I state firmly.

“We believe you,” Kade responds, though others appear less convinced. “But containing individual clans has become politically impossible. The Alliance demands unified action against all emerging territories.”

Images flash through my mind—armed forces surrounding my pack’s territory. Cubs caught in crossfire. Warriors slaughtered defending our rightful homeland. The annihilation of everything we’ve fought to reclaim.

“This is madness,” Ember argues. “The Shadow Wolves have cooperated with our negotiations. They defended Clearwater Crossing against the bears. Punishing them alongside Stormcrow’s clan ignores these facts.”

“Facts matter little when grieving families demand action,” Elena replies. “The Alliance gave us two options—participate in containment or stand aside while they handle it themselves.”

The implications crystallize with brutal clarity. The Shadow Wolf pack faces extinction—not through combat with equals but through systematic extermination by an overwhelming force. We are strong, but even the strongest wolf falls before enough hunters.

I must have swayed slightly because suddenly Ember stands beside me, close enough that her shoulder brushes mine. The contact anchors me as the room threatens to tilt.

“There must be alternatives,” she insists, addressing the council. “The Bear clan is moving west through Shadow Wolf territory toward Clearwater Crossing. If we coordinate defenses?—”

“The decision is made,” Elena interrupts. “This session exists to coordinate our role in the operation, not to debate its merits.”

The discussion continues around me, but their words blur into meaningless noise. My pack trusted me to lead them home. I promised them sanctuary in ancestral lands. Instead, I’ve delivered them to slaughter.

I feel a touch on my arm—gentle, anchoring. Ember’sfingers press briefly against my wrist, hidden from the others by our bodies.

“We need to speak privately,” she murmurs. “I have an idea.”

I follow her to a small antechamber off the main war room. She closes the door, then turns to me with fierce determination burning in her eyes.

“Listen to me,” she says urgently. “There’s still a way to save your pack.”

“How?” The word scrapes my throat. “Your council has made their decision.”

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