The First Collapse
The first structure did not fall because it was weak.
It fell because it was honest.
The message arrived just after dawn, carried by a runner whose hands trembled even as he tried to keep his posture straight.
"Ravenmere has broken," he said.
Silence followed.
Not shock.
Not disbelief.
Only the quiet confirmation that everyone had been waiting for.
Cassian closed his eyes briefly. "How."
"Internal dispute," the runner continued. "Their representative was challenged by two senior Alphas. The pack split overnight."
Lucien exhaled slowly. "Violence."
"Yes," the runner said. "Two injured. No deaths. Yet."
The word hung between us like a held breath.
I felt the chains inside me react faintly, not pulling me toward them, but reminding me that I could.
"That was fast," Alaric said quietly.
"Yes," I replied. "Because they were never unified."
The runner swallowed. "They are asking for intervention."
Lucien turned to me sharply. "Say the word."
