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“And now it’s our responsibility to make sure their sacrifice wasn’t in vain,” Marcus replied, forcing himself to stand. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Kai’s forehead.

The walk to the great hall felt longer than usual, each brother lost in his own thoughts. The manor was unusually quiet, the staff giving them space to process the events of the past two days.

The great hall, with its soaring ceilings and massive fireplace, had been prepared for the council meeting. The ancient oak table that had witnessed centuries of pack decisions dominated the center of the room. Around it sat the five remaining members of the Cedar Grove Pack Council: Elder Grey, her silver hair gleaming in the firelight; Elder Redwood, his dark features solemn; Elder Rivers, his diplomatic posture already signaling his desire to mediate; and Elders Standing Bear and Black Hawk, their weathered faces betraying nothing of their thoughts.

At the far end of the table, deliberately separated from the council, sat the three Blackwood brothers. Xander, with his aristocratic bearing; James, his fighter’s instincts evident in his alert posture; and Liam, whose scholarly interest couldn’t quite mask his obvious excitement at being present for such a historic meeting.

Elder Grey rose as the Stone brothers entered, her silver cane tapping against the stone floor. Despite her age, her voice carried the unmistakable authority of one who had led a pack through countless crises.

“Alpha Stone,” she greeted Marcus formally. “We have much to discuss.”

“Indeed, we do,” Marcus replied, taking his place at the head of the table, Derek and Caleb flanking him. “Starting with why the council never informed us about the Coven.”

A tense silence fell over the room. The elders exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them that spoke of old secrets and older regrets.

“We believed it destroyed,” Elder Redwood finally said, his deep voice resonating in the great hall. “The ritual your grandmother performed with her dying breath was meant to banish it permanently.”

“Clearly, it didn’t work,” Derek observed, his voice deceptively calm. Only his brothers could see the tension in his shoulders, the barely contained rage.

“No ritual, no matter how powerful, can truly destroy the Coven,” Elder Standing Bear explained. “It is not a single entity but a collective consciousness, feeding on supernatural conflict. It can be weakened, banished, bound—but never truly destroyed.”

“And you didn’t think this was information we needed?” Caleb asked, his usual playfulness nowhere in evidence. “For nine years, we’ve believed the Blackwoods were solely responsible for our parents’ deaths.”

“Because that was easier to accept than the truth,” Elder Black Hawk said, his weathered face grave. “Easier to hate another pack than to face an enemy you cannot see, cannot fight in traditional ways.”

“We were wrong to keep this from you,” Elder Rivers admitted, his diplomatic skills evident in his measured tone. “But at the time, with the pack in chaos and three young alphas suddenly thrust into leadership, adding the knowledge of an ancient evil seemed… unwise.”

“Unwise,” Marcus repeated, the word sharp with suppressed anger. “Our mate has been targeted by this ‘ancient evil’ since he was a child, and you thought it unwise to warn us?”

“Your grandmother knew,” Elder Grey interjected, her weathered fingers tracing patterns on the ancient table. “In her final moments, she saw what was coming. The pre-marking was her solution—binding Kai to you three before the Coven could claim him.”

“The Blackwoods did attack that night,” Elder Redwood clarified, nodding toward the three brothers at the end of the table. “But they were not acting entirely of their own volition. The Blood Moon Coven had been influencing Lord Edmund for years, whispering to him, heightening his obsession with bloodline purity.”

“Our father was the perfect target,” Xander said grimly. “His obsession with pure bloodlines, his fear of weakness in our pack—the Coven used it all.”

“The Coven doesn’t manipulate through direct control,” Elder Grey explained, nodding at Xander’s understanding. “It feeds on conflict, on violence between supernatural beings. It enhances what’s already there—pride, fear, hatred. Your father’s fixation made him the perfect conduit.”

“We’ve seen evidence of this influence,” Liam added, his scholarly interest momentarily overriding the tension between their families. “Ancient texts in our library describe similar patterns throughout history—supernatural conflicts that seemed disproportionate, blood feuds that erupted suddenly and violently.”

“And our parents?” Marcus asked, the question that had haunted him for nine years. “Were they truly killed by the Blackwoods?”

The elders exchanged glances again, a silent communication that spoke volumes.

“Some were killed by the Blackwoods, yes,” Elder Grey finally admitted, her voice softening slightly. “The Coven had already weakened your parents, feeding on their life force during the battle. By the time Edmund’s forces reached them, they were already drained, vulnerable.”

“The Coven, it weakened its target and fed on the chaos it created,” Elder Redwood said grimly.

“Your grandmother,” Elder Grey said. “She sacrificed herself performing the banishing ritual, trying to stop the true threat before it could consume everyone.”

“At the cost of her own life,” Caleb said.

“A willing sacrifice,” Elder Standing Bear confirmed. “Your grandmother was a powerful seer. She knew what was at stake. She saw what Kai would become.”

“The twice-blessed child,” Liam murmured, leaning forward with undisguised fascination. “Dragon and wolf. No wonder the Coven wanted him.”

“Wanted?” Derek’s voice carried a dangerous edge. “Past tense?”

“Wants,” Elder Black Hawk corrected grimly. “Still wants. The binding ritual at the stone circle was temporary. The Coven will return, and when it does, it will be stronger, more determined.”