STONEVALE PACK
The silence in the council chamber lingered long after Darren’s laughter faded.
For a moment, no one spoke. The elders remained seated, some rigid with restrained anger, others bowed beneath the weight of indecision. Darren let his gaze sweep over them one last time—measuring, memorizing, and dismissing.
Then he stood.
The scrape of his chair against the stone floor echoed louder than it should have. It wasn’t an accident. Nothing Darren did was accidental.
“If that will be all,” he said lightly, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve, “I have matters to attend to. Stonevale does not run itself.”
No one answered.
Elder Harkin’s eyes followed him, steady, but he did not speak again. The challenge had been issued; the line had been drawn.
Darren gave a faint, amused
