The silence that followed was absolute.

Elder Theodore’s eyes widened. Elder Mateo’s jaw clenched. Elder Rivers simply stared, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.

"Host it?" Elder Mateo said finally. "Here? In Shadowmere?"

"That’s what the letter says," Garrett confirmed. He set the parchment on the desk so all three could see it.

Elder Theodore leaned forward and read it carefully, his eyes scanning the official language. When he finished, he sat back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

"This is unexpected," Elder Rivers said slowly.

"It’s unprecedented," Elder Mateo corrected. "We’ve never hosted the Summit before. The Blackwood pack hosted it seven years ago. The Nightfall territories hosted it before that."

"Why us?" Elder Rivers asked. "Why now? And with such short notice?"

That was the question Garrett had been asking himself since receiving the letter.

"I don’t know," he said honestly. "The letter doesn’t provide explanation. The Supreme Council simply states that Shadowmere has been chosen and the Summit will take place in less than three weeks."

Elder Theodore was still studying the letter, his fingers tracing the seal. "The Supreme Council doesn’t make decisions like this randomly," he said quietly. "There’s always a reason. Even if the reason isn’t stated."

"Are you suggesting this is about the blood debt?" Elder Mateo asked, his voice tense. "Are they investigating whether we’re still harboring sympathies toward Victor?"

"The Blackwoods gave their word that the matter was settled," Garrett said. "They’ve given no indication that they still consider Shadowmere a threat."

"But the Supreme Council might," Elder Theodore said. He looked at Garrett directly. "If they wanted to inspect this pack more closely without making it obvious, hosting the Summit would be the perfect opportunity. Dozens of alphas from different packs. Observation. Assessment."

"Are you saying this is a test?" Elder Rivers asked.

"I’m saying it’s a possibility," Elder Theodore replied.

Garrett felt his stomach tighten. The idea that the Supreme Council was testing Shadowmere’s loyalty and stability was unsettling. It suggested that despite the Blackwoods’ assurances, there were still questions about whether Shadowmere could be trusted. Whether the pack harbored lingering betrayal.

"Even if that’s true," he said, "we have no choice but to accept. Refusing the Supreme Council would be an insult. It would suggest that Shadowmere is not capable of hosting, which would confirm any doubts they might already have."

The elders nodded slowly, accepting the reality of the situation.

"There’s another possibility," Elder Mateo said quietly. "What if the Supreme Council is testing the Blackwood pack? What if choosing Shadowmere is a way of assessing whether the Blackwoods are satisfied with the blood debt payment? Whether they consider the matter truly settled?"

Garrett hadn’t considered that angle. But it was possible. The Supreme Council’s decisions often served multiple purposes.

"Regardless of the reason," Garrett said, "the decision has been made. Shadowmere will host the Summit. We have less than three weeks to prepare."

The weight of that responsibility settled over all of them.

"There will be alphas here," Elder Rivers said slowly. "Powerful alphas. Alpha families with deep resources and old grudges. If there’s any weakness in our pack, any hint of instability, it will be noticed."

"Which is why we need to be prepared," Garrett said. His political mind was already shifting into strategy mode. "We need to show the Supreme Council, and every alpha that attends, that Shadowmere is stable. Strong. Trustworthy."

"And we need to do it in three weeks," Elder Theodore added. There was something almost resigned about his tone.

"We need to do it in three weeks," Garrett confirmed.

He looked at the three elders, men who had served Shadowmere for decades. Men who understood pack politics. Men who knew what was at stake.

"Do we have any choice?" Elder Mateo asked quietly. "Can we refuse?"

"We could," Garrett said. "But it would be a mistake. The Supreme Council would take it as an affront. And whatever their reasons for choosing us, refusing would confirm any suspicions they might have about our capability or our loyalty."

"So we accept," Elder Rivers said. It wasn’t a question.

"We accept," Garrett agreed. "And we do whatever is necessary to make this work."

The elders fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Garrett picked up the letter and read it one more time, looking for any answers that weren’t there.

The Supreme Council had chosen Shadowmere. The decision was made. The challenges ahead were immense.

And Garrett still had no idea why.

***

Lilith’s eyes snapped open at 7:15 AM.

She hadn’t been sleeping. Had been lying on the lumpy mattress in the darkness, staring at nothing, trying not to close her eyes because closing her eyes meant surrendering to them. The moment her consciousness drifted, they were there....golden eyes, silver eyes, dark eyes, all of them reaching for her across the distance, all of them consuming her in ways that made her body respond in confusion and need.

She’d given up trying to sleep around 4 AM.

The knock on her door was sharp and insistent.

Lilith forced herself to sit up. Her body felt impossibly heavy, like gravity had increased overnight. Her muscles ached despite the fact that she hadn’t worked yesterday, had called in sick to avoid the facility, avoid being around people, avoid trying to maintain composure when she was falling apart internally.

The knock came again.

"Coming," she called out, her voice hoarse from disuse.

It took tremendous effort to drag herself off the mattress. Her legs felt shaky. Her head was pounding. The exhaustion was so complete it was almost numbing. But she moved anyway, pulling on the thin robe she’d left on the floor, and made her way to the door.

When she opened it, she found Emma standing in the hallway.

Emma looked as exhausted as Lilith felt. The kind omega’s face was drawn, her eyes tired. She was still in her sleep clothes, and her hair was pulled back in a messy braid.