Mira’s POV

The message arrived by dusk. Delivered by wind-bound glyph. No seal. No crest. Just one word on the fold: Mira. Kael stood beside me as I opened it. Lyra read over my shoulder. “She wants a meeting.” Cyrus frowned. “Neutral ground?” I nodded. “Ashgrove. Tomorrow at sundown. Alone.” Auren shook his head. “It’s bait.”

“She’s my sister,” I said. Kael replied, “And you don’t know who she is anymore.” “I have to,” I said. “Before this turn into war.” Ashgrove was still ash. It never grew back after the Council razed it. Rhenna was already there. Alone. No guards. No wolves.

Just her. I stepped into the circle of blackened trees. She didn’t smile. Didn’t attack. Just waited. “You came,” she said. “You asked,” I answered. “Do they know you’re here?” she asked. “They know I couldn’t stay away,” I said. Rhenna studied me. “You’ve changed.”

“So have you.” She nodded. “We were always meant to be different.”

“You were meant to lead?”

“No,” she said. “I was meant to survive what they couldn’t control. ”I asked, “What do you want, Rhenna?”

She didn’t hesitate.

“Recognition,” she said. “Not pity. Not an apology. Power. Authority. My place.”

“You’re Hollow Fang.”

“I’m what remains of what they feared,” she replied. I asked, “Why not join the Accord?”

“Because the Accord was written to bind the living,” she said. “Not to restore the erased.”

“You want dominion.”

“I want restoration,” she repeated. “I want a blood seat. Not a vote. A voice above theirs.”

“No,” I said. “That’s not what we’re building.”

“It’s what was stolen from me,” she said. “And what you benefit from.”

I stepped forward. “You think this was easy for me?”

She said, “You were never buried.”

“I lost everything.”

“You gained a legacy.”

She looked at me. “If I have to burn their unity to reclaim my name, I will.”

“Then we are enemies.”

“No,” she said. “Not yet.”

She handed me a scroll.

“Put it to a vote,” she said. “A proposal to reinstate Hollow Fang as a sovereign Alpha house. Outside the Accord’s authority. Bound to no pack. Answerable to none.”

“And if I refuse?”

She stepped back.

“Then your Accord fractures from within. You’ll lose Brekkar. Terek. Derian. The ones who signed because I let them.” My breath caught. “You coordinated this.”

“They followed me,” she said. “Because I promised them what you won’t.” I asked, “Why now begin?” I said, “You’re playing with fire.” She looked at the scorched trees. “I was born in it.”

Then she walked away. No guards. No fight. Just certainty. Back at the summit chamber, I laid the scroll on the table. nKael read it. “She wants immunity. Authority. Territory.” Cyrus said, “And she’s using the signatories as leverage.” Lyra whispered, “If we deny her, we risk internal revolt.” Auren asked, “If we accept it?”

“We legitimise the threat,” I said. “We name her as sovereign, and every other erased bloodline will demand the same.” Kael said, “She’s not asking for inclusion. She’s demanding elevation.”

Cyrus added, “This is a throne in disguise.” I said, “We hold a vote.” Lyra frowned. “What if it passes?”

“Then the Accord was never real,” I said. “Not if they choose hierarchy again.” Kael looked at me. “And if it fails?” I answered, “Then she declares war.” The vote was called. Only alpha signatories allowed. Twenty-two remaining. Eleven are needed for the majority. Each voice called. One by one.

I kept counting. Eight Yes. Ten No. Two abstained. The motion failed. But not by much. Not enough to shatter the Accord. But enough to shake its walls. Later that night, I stood with Kael on the watchtower. “She’ll act now,” he said.

“I know.”

“She thought she had the numbers.”

“She still might,” I said. “Next time, they may not vote.” Cyrus joined us. “Our scouts saw movement near Hollow Basin. Armed patrols. Reinforced dens.” Lyra added, “She’s not waiting. She’s preparing.”

I nodded. “The Sisters’ Ultimatum failed. But it gave her justification.” Kael asked, “What now?” I stared into the valley. “Now we wait for her first strike.”

They weren’t celebrating the outcome. They were calculating the cost. The abstainers would shift next. The eight who voted yes now knew they weren’t alone. And the ten who stood against it had just made enemies of their neighbors.

Kael noticed it too. “This wasn’t a defeat for her,” he said. “It was recruitment.” Cyrus said, “She baited them into revealing their positions.” Lyra added, “And tested yours. Now she knows exactly who to divide.” I said nothing. Auren asked, “What will she do now?”

“She’ll consolidate,” I said. “Reach out to the abstainers. Pressure the weakest. Offer what the Accord hasn’t.” Lyra whispered, “And they’ll listen. Because unity is slower than power.”

Kael turned to me. “She forced you into a corner.”

“No,” I said. “She gave me clarity.” Cyrus said, “About her?”

“No,” I replied. “About the Accord. About how fragile it is if it doesn’t evolve.” Auren asked, “Evolve how?” I looked at the vote ledger. “We’ve been defending it like a wall. But maybe it needs to bend like a bridge.” Kael frowned. “You’re thinking of opening a path for her.”

“I’m thinking of keeping wolves from choosing between blood and truth.” Cyrus said, “If we bend, it can’t be out of fear.”

“It won’t be,” I said. “It’ll be out of strategy.” Because war wasn’t declared yet. But it had begun. You can insert this right before the section. Later that night, I stood with Kael on the watchtower.