Luke entered Alpha Garrett’s office without knocking.

As Garrett’s beta, he had the privilege of direct access, but he usually announced himself. The fact that he didn’t suggest the letter in his hand was important.

"Alpha," Luke said, approaching the desk. "This arrived this morning via official courier. Supreme Council seal."

Garrett looked up from the paperwork spread across his desk. The Supreme Council seal. That was significant. The highest governing body in the werewolf realm didn’t send casual correspondence. Every letter from the Supreme Council carried weight. Carried authority. Carried implications.

"Set it on the desk," Garrett said.

Luke did, then left without another word. He’d learned long ago not to linger when council business was involved.

Garrett stared at the letter for a moment before reaching for it.

The seal was pristine...the official symbol of the Supreme Council of Elders, the governing body that oversaw all werewolf packs across the realm. Below the seal was his name, written in official script. This was formal correspondence.

He broke the seal and unfolded the parchment.

His eyes scanned the opening lines, and his stomach dropped.

The Yearly Alphas Summit. Hosted in Shadowmere. This year. Less than three weeks to prepare.

Garrett read the letter twice.

Then a third time. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The words didn’t change. The meaning remained the same. Somehow, against all odds and all expectations, the Supreme Council of Elders had chosen Shadowmere to host the most important werewolf gathering in existence.

He set the letter down slowly and leaned back in his chair.

Why?

That was the question that wouldn’t stop repeating in his mind. Why Shadowmere? There were dozens of packs more powerful, more established, more capable of hosting an event of this magnitude. The Blackwood pack could have hosted it. The Blackpaw pack. The Nightfall territories. Any number of major packs that had the resources and the political standing to handle such an undertaking.

But they’d chosen Shadowmere.

A mid-tier pack. A pack that had recently dealt with internal scandal. A pack whose former Beta had been branded a traitor for his involvement in the death of the Blackwood Alpha.

Garrett’s mind went immediately to Victor Thorne.

The blood debt. The contract with the Blackwood brothers. The agreement that Shadowmere had paid the price for Victor’s alleged betrayal. The promise from the Blackwoods that the matter was settled, that Shadowmere was no longer under threat.

Was this about that?

Was the Supreme Council using the Summit as an opportunity to inspect Shadowmere more closely? To determine whether the pack still harbored any form of betrayal? To ensure that there were no lingering sympathies toward the traitor’s family or the traitor himself?

Garrett stood and began pacing.

But no. That didn’t make sense. The blood debt had been paid. The Blackwoods had given their word that they considered the matter settled. Alpha Nicholas himself had confirmed that the threat was neutralized. Sending the Supreme Council to investigate would be redundant. It would be insulting to the Blackwoods’ honor to suggest they needed the council to verify their claims.

So what exactly was this?

Garrett moved to the window and looked out at the Shadowmere pack compound. The grounds were well-maintained but not ostentatious. The buildings were functional, not grand. This was a solid, mid-tier pack. Respectable. But not impressive. Not the kind of pack that typically hosted events of Summit importance.

The timing was also strange. Three weeks. That was barely enough time to arrange basic accommodations, let alone the kind of meticulous planning required for an event where dozens of alphas from different packs would be gathering. Political tensions would be high. Security would be crucial. Every detail would be scrutinized.

And Shadowmere had less than three weeks to make it all work.

Garrett turned from the window and looked back at the letter on his desk.

The Supreme Council wouldn’t have made this decision lightly. There had to be a reason. A strategic reason. A political reason. Something that served the council’s interests in ways that weren’t immediately obvious.

Was it a test? A way to see how Shadowmere responded to pressure and responsibility? To gauge whether the pack was strong enough to handle the challenge?

Or was it something else entirely?

Garrett moved back to his desk and read the letter one more time, looking for hidden meaning in the carefully chosen words. But the Supreme Council wrote in official language...clinical, precise, impersonal. There were no hints. No suggestions of ulterior motive. Just the fact: Shadowmere would host the Summit. The date was set. The decision was final.

He set the letter down and looked at Luke, who had returned to stand quietly by the door.

"Gather the elders," Garrett said, his voice steady despite the chaos of his thoughts. "Tell them there is an emergency. They need to come to my office immediately."

"Yes, Alpha," Luke said. He left without question.

Garrett was alone with the letter.

He picked it up again and examined the seal more carefully, looking for any indication of who on the Supreme Council had made this decision. But the seal gave nothing away. It was official. It was binding. And it was unchangeable.

Three weeks.

Shadowmere would host the Yearly Alphas Summit in three weeks.

And Garrett still had no idea why.

***

The elders arrived within minutes.

Elder Theodore, Elder Mateo and Elder Rivers. entered the office with varying degrees of concern. They could sense something was wrong. Garrett rarely called emergency meetings.

"Close the door," Garrett instructed.

Elder Rivers did, then all three elders took seats across from Garrett’s desk.

"I received a letter this morning," Garrett said without preamble. He held up the parchment. "From the Supreme Council of Elders."

The moment he said ’Supreme Council,’ the elders’ expressions shifted. They knew, as Garrett did, that correspondence from the highest governing body was serious.

"They’ve made a decision regarding the Yearly Alphas Summit," Garrett continued. He paused, letting the weight of the moment settle. "Shadowmere has been chosen to host it this year."