Chapter 158- Storm at the Summit
Lexy
The past two days had been a relentless manhunt for Adrian, Kael, and anyone aiding them—but to no avail. At the same time, we were preparing for the emergency summit, and the first representatives would be arriving tonight.
As a precaution I the summit will happen tonight. I knew if Adrian had someone on the inside he would find know about the emergency summit and we would run the risk of being attacked.
I hadn’t slept more than a handful of hours since Adrian’s escape. Every lead we followed ended up in cold trails or burned-out safehouses. Kael, ever the shadow, left no sign of movement, and Adrian… Adrian had been too quiet. Too invisible. And I hated it.
The scent of roasted meat and spiced root filled the air as I walked past the open kitchens. Workers and guards alike moved in quick, efficient lines—polishing the main hall, inspecting guest quarters, coordinating tight patrols. All of it is under strict orders. No one came in or out without me knowing. Not anymore.
CJ met me at the edge of the training yard where volunteers from different packs and tribes were now acting as additional security while still going through their training and learning from my tribe.
“Still no trace?” I asked him quietly.
He shook his head, jaw clenched. “No. But we found a body this morning. One of our own. Burned beyond recognition except for the tribal crest burned into the flesh.”
I swallowed hard. “A warning.”
“Or a promise,” CJ said grimly. “He’s not done.”
A tear streamed down my face, and I wiped it quickly. Couldn’t let anyone see me like that.
I nodded once and turned toward the council chambers, where my advisors waited. The emergency summit wasn't just a political necessity—it was a line in the sand. The alliance needed reassurance that we hadn’t lost control. That I hadn’t lost control.
Inside the chambers, the air buzzed with tension. Elder Rae from the Windhowler pack stood beside Elder Mako of the Stone Fang, arguing over the agenda for the summit. Tarria’s former mentor, Elder Lys of the Ashborn, simply observed with narrow eyes. Tarria herself hadn’t been seen since returning from Adrian’s territory with the proof—she was under heavy guard, resting, or so I’d been told. I suspected she was strategizing.
I took my place at the head of the room, letting the low murmur of voices quiet as I raised a hand.
“We all know why this summit was called,” I began, keeping my voice calm and deliberate. “Adrian’s betrayal is no longer speculation. It’s fact. He fled while being escorted to a neutral holding, aided by Kael and his inner circle. This is no longer about mistrust. This is warcraft.”
Mako folded his thick arms. “And yet we hold a summit, not a tribunal?”
“This is bigger than one man,” Rae said sharply. “If we fall into infighting, Adrian wins. We need unity, not vengeance.”
I met Mako’s gaze. “We’ll present the proof Tarria recovered tonight when the full delegation arrives. Every pack needs to see it with their own eyes. We let them decide how to proceed—with me as their voice or divided and vulnerable.”
That silenced even Mako.
By late afternoon, the first groups arrived. The Skyshard and Embermane packs touched down with their winged riders and sleek gliders just before sunset, while others crossed the rivers or came by caravan through the eastern routes. Each was greeted with careful ceremony—enough to show respect but tight enough to keep security seamless.
Tarria appeared by dusk, cloaked in a dark woolen wrap and flanked by two personal guards. She gave me a nod across the courtyard, one that carried meaning only we understood: *We’re ready*.
The main gathering was held in the dining hall; its stone walls bathed in golden firelight. Tables were arranged in a wide circle, no seats higher than another. I stood in the center, CJ to my right, Tarria to my left, and the evidence in a sealed chest at our feet.
As murmurs died down, I began.
“I wish I could welcome you under better circumstances,” I said. “But this summit was not born from celebration—it was born from betrayal. From truth buried in manipulation. From light twisted by shadow.”
I gestured to Tarria, who stepped forward. Her voice was clear, cutting.
“What I found in Adrian’s territory was a chamber of lies. Sealed vaults, secret communications, detailed plans to dismantle this alliance from the inside. And this—”
She pulled a small, carved prism from the chest. It shimmered faintly in the firelight, casting a flickering reflection of a map on the floor. Everyone leaned in as she rotated it slightly, revealing glowing dots—targeted tribes. Timelines. Names. Mine among them.
Gasps rippled across the room. Some stood. Others drew in sharp breaths. Mako looked thunderstruck.
“This was his plan,” I said coldly. “To break us one by one. To isolate us. He never came to this tribe for peace—he came to gauge our weaknesses.”
A representative from the Riverfang pack, an elder woman with icy eyes, narrowed her gaze. “And you let him?”
“I held him here longer than most would’ve dared. And in doing so, we unearthed the truth. We have evidence. Not speculation. And now you must decide—how do we respond?”
The room exploded in debate. Some called for immediate military action. Others urged diplomacy, worried about being manipulated again. But the tide was shifting.
CJ leaned in. “Let them rage. It’s turning in our favor.”
Tarria whispered, “Not all of them are convinced. We need more.”
I nodded and raised my hand once more. Silence returned.
“There’s more,” I said. “Adrian didn’t act alone. We suspect Kael and others—some whose loyalties were bought long before this alliance. We will root them out. But first, I ask for your vote of confidence—not just in me, but in this alliance. We move as one, or we fall as prey.”
The vote was cast via rune stones—each leader placing theirs in one of two bowls: unity or dissent.
One by one, the stones fell into place.
Skyshard: Unity. Embermane: Unity. Ashborn: Unity.
Stone Fang… a pause. Then finally, Mako stepped forward and dropped his stone into the unity bowl with a grunt.
“We move as one,” he said gruffly. “But we move fast.”
A few more stragglers added their votes, but the outcome was clear: a united front.
As the summit wound down, I found myself stepping outside into the night air. The stars shimmered above us like distant witnesses. CJ followed a moment later.
“You did it,” he said quietly.
“No,” I murmured. “We bought time. That’s all. Adrian is still out there. And he knows we’re coming.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Then we come harder.”
Inside, preparations for the new alliance orders were already underway. Troops would be consolidated. Patrols expanded. Espionage teams dispatched. The war had shifted from theory to certainty.
And as I looked back into the firelit hall, at faces lit with both fear and resolve, I knew one thing without doubt:
This was the beginning of the reckoning.
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