“This is unprecedented,” another voice called out. “Wolves do not have magic. We are shifters, not witches. This should not be possible.”
“Half-breeds with witch blood have shown abilities,” someone countered. “But a human-wolf hybrid? There is no precedent for this.”
“Which makes it even more dangerous. We have no idea what he is capable of.”
Wen stepped forward, fierce and furious. “He’s four years old! He doesn’t even know what he did!”
“Which makes him more dangerous,” the Wynter representative shot back. They were as annoying as his Silvermane king. “Uncontrolled power is the worst kind of threat.”
My growl was inhuman, echoing through the stone hall. “My son is not a threat. He is a child.”
“A child who opened portals to unknown realms without even trying,” the Duskmere representative said quietly. “What happens when he gets angry? Or has a tantrum?”
Aurion tried to help. My brother’s faith in diplomacy never wavered, even when diplomacy was clearly failing. “But they closed immediately. No one was hurt. Nothing was damaged.”
“This time,” a woman from Silvermane’s group said sharply. “What about next time? What if next time one stays open? What if something comes through?”
“What if enemies discover these portals and use them to attack us?” demanded an Ebonvale noble.
The Duskmere representative pressed further. “What if he opens one during a battle? Or in a populated city? The destruction could be catastrophic. Hundreds could die.”
The Moonhaven noble who’d spoken before stepped even closer, his expression cold. “The boy needs to be studied. Contained.Controlled. For everyone’s safety, he cannot be allowed to roam free.”
My vision went red.
“No one is touching my son,” I snarled.
“Then how do we know we’re safe?” the Valoryn representative demanded.
“Because I will keep you safe.”
The Wynter dignitary actually laughed. “That is not enough. You can’t watch him every moment. You can’t prevent accidents. One mistake and we could all be dead.”
I couldn’t contain my snarl any longer, vibrating through my bones. Aurion’s hand found my shoulder. “Brother, you need to calm...”
“Do not tell me to calm down when they are threatening my family.”
I could feel the remains of my control slipping. The wolf was right there, just beneath my skin, ready to tear through flesh and bone to protect what was mine. Years of discipline, of learning to master the beast inside me, and it was all crumbling because these fools were talking about my son like he was a weapon to be contained instead of a child to be protected.
The hall erupted into arguments again, representatives shouting over each other. Some looked genuinely terrified, eyes wide and panicked. Others were already calculating, seeing politicalopportunity in my son’s crisis. I had lived long enough to recognize that look. They would use this against us if they could.
I stood between them and my family, fists clenched so hard my nails were drawing blood from my palms. The scent of my own blood only made the wolf more agitated, more desperate to be released.
Behind me, Killian whimpered, and something in my chest cracked. My son. My pup. Crying because these people were treating him like a monster instead of a child who just wanted to count people and eat honey.
“The boy cannot be allowed near populated areas until this is resolved.” Someone said.
I went very still. “You are suggesting I exile my four-year-old son?”
A different representative from Wynter stepped forward, wearing the formal sash that marked him as speaking with Silvermane’s full authority. Either very brave or profoundly stupid. I suspected the latter. “I am suggesting you contain the threat before it destroys us all.”
“He is not a threat!” Wen’s voice was furious. “He’s a baby! He doesn’t understand what’s happening!”
“Which is exactly the problem,” someone from Crescentborn’s group said. “A baby with the power to end kingdoms. That’s a nightmare scenario.”
Aurion tried again. “No one was hurt. Nothing was damaged. The portals closed immediately. There’s no evidence of lasting danger.”
“Yet,” the Wynter representative said flatly. “Yet is the important word here.”
