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“The veil grows thin,” Lord Thanatos Shadowmere intoned, his dark wings casting impossible shadows despite the morning light. “The signs are unmistakable.”

Lady Wei Cheng’s dragon magic crackled. “Three disturbances in the past month alone. The last one so powerful it shattered every mirror in my granddaughter’s wing.”

From somewhere in the back, Archer barely suppressed a snort. “Here we go again, another emergency council meeting about magical disturbances. Last month it was the alignment of stars, before that it was a suspicious cloud formation…”

“Show some respect,” Colt Hawkins drawled, though his eyes held a hint of amusement. “Even if the last ‘urgent matter’ turned out to be Lord Blackthorn’s cat knocking over a magical artifact.”

“That was a priceless ancestral urn,” Lord Blackthorn Senior sniffed.

“Dark Haven moves,” Lady Victoria Lionheart cut through the murmurs, her voice carrying the weight of celestial prophecy. “Their hunters cross our borders with increasingfrequency. And Silver Crown…” She exchanged a look with Lord Blackthorn. “They’ve reopened their breeding programs.”

“And Storm Gate’s black market has tripled their bounties on unmarked supernatural beings,” Lord Thanatos added, shadows writhing around his wings. “Their traffickers grow bold.”

Lady Victoria’s celestial light flared. “They’re preparing. All of them. Dark Haven’s hunters, Silver Crown’s breeders, Storm Gate’s traffickers—they sense what’s coming.”

That silenced the snickers. Even Colt’s usual drawl carried an edge when he spoke. “Breeding programs? Supernatural trafficking? Those were outlawed millennia ago.”

“Laws mean little to those desperate for power,” Lord Blackthorn’s tone had turned sharp as winter frost. “The ancient texts speak of souls marked by fate, crossing worlds to bring great change.”

“Ancient texts?” Lei Cheng rolled his eyes. “With all due respect to our elders, we’re running a modern supernatural metropolis here. We can’t base policy on some dusty scrolls about magical soul mates.”

“Yeah,” Cameron Kingston chimed in. “Next you’ll tell us to check our horoscopes for potential threats.”

Lady Wei Cheng’s dragon magic crackled dangerously. “You younglings mock what you don’t understand. These aren’t fairy tales—they’re prophecies written in first blood, sealed with ancient magic.”

“When the fated heat comes,” Lord Thanatos added, making several alphas choke on their own spit, “you’ll wish you’d paid more attention to these… how did you put it? Dusty scrolls?”

“Fated… heat?” Akira Sato leaned forward, his nine tails twitching with sudden interest.

Lady Lucia Bellini snapped her fingers, and pamphlets materialized in front of each clan head. “Basic protocols,” sheexplained, ignoring the incredulous looks. “What to expect, how to handle the initial bonding phase, emergency contacts…”

“You madepamphlets?” Isaiah Kingston’s voice cracked slightly.

“We’ve had centuries to prepare,” Lady Victoria said primly. “Though I do hope the Lionheart Clan finds their fated one first. Our bloodline could use some fresh power.”

“Nonsense,” Lord Blackthorn huffed. “Clearly, the vampiric nobility should?—”

“The dragon clan—” Lady Wei Cheng began.

“Now, now.” Lord Thanatos’s dark amusement cut through the budding argument. “Fate will choose as it will. Though obviously, death angels?—”

“If we could return to the matter at hand,” Zane interrupted, fighting back a smile despite the serious situation. “These fated ones—how are we to recognize them?”

The elders exchanged glances. “Well…” Lady Victoria hesitated. “The texts are… somewhat unclear on the specifics.”

“Somewhat unclear?” Gabriel Lionheart’s celestial light flickered with concern. “What exactly do we know?”

“They speak of bonds that transcend ordinary connections,” Lord Kenshin Sato began.

“Your alpha instincts will know,” Lady Wei Cheng added.

“There might be glowing,” Lady Freya Erikson offered.

“Or singing,” Lady Siobhan O’Brien suggested.

“Possibly floating,” Lady Aileen MacKenzie mused.

“Floating?” several young alphas echoed incredulously.