The source of everything that’s been happening in the valley.
My father folds his hands on the table. “Interrogation will begin once the council approves it.”
Everyone nods in agreement.
“Good,” he continues. “Because if Hale knows where the demons are entering our world from, we need that information immediately.”
Damian glances at me. “The valley itself appears quiet this morning. Patrols haven’t reported any unusual activity since the warehouse raid.”
“That doesn’t mean the threat is gone,” Damian’s uncle, Joel, mutters.
“No,” Conan agrees. “But it does mean we disrupted something important.”
Amos nods thoughtfully. “Based on the records we recovered, Marcus Hale’s operation was supplying weapons toonly one human group, suspected to be the group that was possessed. With the warehouse destroyed, that supply line is gone.”
“For now,” Damian says.
“For now,” Amos confirms.
My father straightens slightly. “Until we locate the portal and close it permanently, we remain vigilant.”
Several of the research team and the council members murmur in agreement. The conversation shifts briefly to patrol rotations and increased security across the valley, but as the discussion continues, one realization settles quietly into the back of my mind.
The weapons operation has been dismantled.
The demons have lost one of their key allies in the human world.
And the valley itself is calm again.
Which means the danger that once surrounded Annika’s presence outside the valley…has faded. No one at this table is thinking about the human world, but I am.
If the demons no longer have a coordinated network of human collaborators operating nearby, then moving between worlds becomes far less dangerous than it was before.
A quiet confirmation settles in my chest. The path is open again.
My father’s voice pulls me back to the present.
“Then it’s settled,” Mortimer says, looking around the table. “Marcus Hale will be interrogated tonight. Until then, we maintain heightened patrols and prepare for whatever information he provides.” He glances toward Annika then, hisexpression softening slightly. “And we acknowledge the miracle that allowed our alpha to sit here today.”
Every gaze shifts toward her again, and Annika stiffens beside me. But instead of shrinking under the attention, she lifts her chin slightly.
“I only did what anyone would do,” she says quietly.
Sophie smiles. “No,” she replies gently. “You didn’t. You achieved something no one thought could be possible.”
For a moment, silence settles over the room, then my father nods once. “Meeting adjourned.”
Chairs scrape softly against the wooden floor as everyone rises, conversations beginning again in low murmurs. Beside me, Annika exhales slowly.
“That was a lot of staring…” she mutters under her breath,
I chuckle quietly as I stand, offering her my hand. “Yes,” I concede. “It was.”
The council chamber slowly empties as the meeting concludes, wolves drifting into smaller conversations about patrol rotations and the interrogation planned for Marcus Hale later that evening.
Hand in hand, Annika and I step out into the crisp mountain air together, the heavy wooden doors closing behind us with a quiet thud. For a moment, neither of us speaks.
The valley stretches peacefully before us, sunlight spilling across the snow-dusted rooftops and pine trees that line the mountain slopes. It feels strangely calm after everything that has happened over the past few days.
