Seraphina’s POV
The pack territory felt different this morning. Clean. The oppressive darkness that had suffocated us for weeks was finally gone. I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and Julian’s protective arm wrapped around my waist. For the first time in months, my chest didn’t feel heavy with dread.
Then I heard the rumble of powerful engines approaching.
I bolted upright, clutching the silk sheet against my chest. Julian’s eyes snapped open beside me, instantly alert.
"They’re here," he said, his voice a low growl that vibrated through his chest.
"The Council?" My stomach clenched with nervous energy.
"Yes."
A chill ran down my spine. My wolf paced anxiously beneath my skin. These men had come to help investigate Jasper, but I knew from my encounters with the Alpha King that the Council feared anything beyond their control. Right now, that something was me.
I slipped from the bed and dressed quickly, choosing a flowing white dress. Simple, elegant, but it felt like battle armor. I was the White Wolf. I wouldn’t cower or hide what I was.
We walked to the packhouse together. Three massive black SUVs dominated the circular driveway. Six men emerged from the vehicles. All Alphas from distant territories. All older, with silver hair and faces carved from granite. The man leading them was Alpha Blackwood, head of the Council. His reputation for fairness was matched only by his ruthless enforcement of pack law.
I wondered why the Alpha King hadn’t come himself, but those questions would have to wait.
"Alpha Blackwood," Julian said, extending his hand. "Welcome to the Zenith Fang."
Blackwood’s expression remained stone-cold. He shook Julian’s hand briefly before his calculating gaze shifted to me. I felt the weight of his scrutiny as he tried to sense my power, to determine if the wild stories were true.
"Alpha Julian," Blackwood replied, his voice rough as gravel. "We received your urgent message. You claim Alpha Jasper of the Phantom Fang Fang was practicing dark magic and attempting soul manipulation?"
"It’s documented truth," Julian said firmly. "He’s in our holding cells, along with his daughter Cordelia."
Blackwood’s eyes narrowed to slits. "And the reports of an explosion of white light visible for miles? Witnesses claiming to see hundreds of wolf spirits ascending into the night sky?"
His piercing stare fixed on me again. This time, I didn’t flinch. I met his gaze head-on.
"That was me," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart.
"The White Wolf," Blackwood whispered. The other Council Alphas shifted restlessly behind him, muttering among themselves. These men were accustomed to being the most powerful presence in any room. Standing before me, they felt diminished. I could see it in their tense postures and uncertain glances.
"Show us the prisoners," Blackwood commanded.
We led them through the packhouse and down into the basement detention area. The cells were reinforced with pure silver bars that would contain even the strongest werewolf.
Jasper occupied the first cell. He looked ancient now, his skin papery and translucent, his once-thick hair sparse and white. He sat slumped on the floor, staring at nothing with hollow eyes. When the Council approached, he didn’t even acknowledge their presence. The dark magic had consumed him from within, leaving only an empty shell.
Cordelia was in the adjacent cell, and her reaction was explosive. She launched herself at the bars the moment she saw us, her red hair wild and tangled, her expensive dress torn and filthy.
"Please!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation. "It was all my father’s doing! I’m innocent! That monster attacked me unprovoked!" She jabbed a finger toward me. "She’s dangerous! You have to stop her!"
Blackwood regarded her with obvious disgust, completely ignoring her hysterical pleas. He moved to the evidence table where we’d placed the shattered remains of Jasper’s soul-trapping vessels. Even broken, the glass fragments radiated a sickly dark energy that made the air feel thick and wrong.
"I’m struggling to understand how you managed to break through such powerful dark magic," Blackwood said, studying the corrupted artifacts.
I decided actions would speak louder than any explanation I could offer.
I allowed just a fraction of my true power to surface. My eyes blazed white-hot, and a gentle luminescence began to emanate from my skin. The temperature in the basement plummeted instantly. The Council Alphas stumbled backward in shock. One actually pressed his hand to his chest as if struggling to breathe in my presence.
The silver bars of the cells began to hum with resonant energy. Cordelia’s screaming abruptly stopped as she cowered in the far corner of her cell. Even Jasper lifted his head slightly, some flicker of awareness returning to his vacant stare.
I let the power fade gradually, returning to my normal appearance. The Alphas remained frozen, their faces pale with a mixture of awe and terror.
"That," I said quietly, "is how."