Chapter 170

The chamber remained silent after Vormerion spoke.

The bronze dragon stood near the shattered entrance of the council hall, his enormous body filling the broken doorway while moonlight reflected across ancient scales marked with glowing silver lines that resembled restrained lightning beneath metal. Heat rolled through the chamber in slow waves, mixing with the fear already spreading among the wolves gathered inside.

"So the Lycan has awakened at last."

The words still echoed through the hall long after the dragon finished speaking.

Ariana felt Kael tense beside her immediately, though this time the reaction did not feel angry or unstable. The pressure surrounding him had changed again, becoming sharper and more alert, as though every instinct inside him had focused entirely on the ancient dragon standing before them.

The council reacted differently.

Fear no longer hid behind authority or politics now. Several elders looked visibly pale while warriors near the walls instinctively avoided direct eye contact with Vormerion. Moments earlier they had been arguing about laws, bonds, and council power. None of that seemed important anymore.

The oldest dragon had just confirmed the existence of the Lycan in front of the entire council.

One of the northern elders finally forced himself to speak. "That is impossible."

Vormerion’s massive head turned slowly toward him. The movement alone carried enough weight to make several wolves step backward instinctively.

"Your disbelief does not change what stands before you," the dragon replied calmly.

His voice rolled through the chamber like distant thunder, ancient and heavy enough to make the stone floor vibrate faintly beneath their feet.

The elder lowered his gaze immediately.

Not out of respect.

Instinct.

Ariana noticed it at once. The wolves reacted to Vormerion the same way they reacted to Kael now. Their bodies recognized something ancient long before their minds could fully accept it.

Lucien slowly exhaled near the back wall. "Well," he muttered quietly, "the council is never recovering from this."

Nobody answered him because everyone inside the chamber already knew he was right.

Kael finally stepped forward slightly, his attention never leaving Vormerion. "You came because of Ariana."

"Yes."

The answer came without hesitation.

The chamber tensed again.

One elder immediately pointed toward Ariana. "Then remove her from the territory before this becomes a war."

The atmosphere shifted so quickly that several wolves physically flinched.

Ariana felt the pressure surrounding Kael deepen sharply beside her. It still did not feel uncontrolled, but the restraint beneath it had become heavy enough to make the chamber uneasy.

Kael turned slowly toward the elder. "Say that again."

The elder swallowed hard but forced himself to continue. "The dragons entering wolf territory threatens every bloodline under this council."

"The dragons entered after you threatened their queen," Lucien replied coldly.

"We threatened instability," another elder snapped back immediately.

"No," Vormerion interrupted.

Silence spread across the chamber again.

The bronze dragon’s glowing eyes moved slowly across the council before settling once more on Ariana.

"You threatened the Sovereign."

The words landed heavily inside the hall.

Several wolves lowered themselves instinctively while others looked ready to leave the chamber entirely.

Ariana’s heartbeat quickened painfully.

Even after everything Ariana had learned about herself, hearing the title spoken aloud in front of the council still sent a strange feeling through her chest.

For so long, the Sovereign had sounded like something distant, buried in old stories and forgotten history. But standing there beneath the eyes of the council, surrounded by dragons answering her presence and wolves reacting to her power, it no longer felt like a legend anymore. It felt real

One elder looked sharply toward Kael. "You knew what she was and still allowed this to continue?"

Kael’s expression darkened immediately. "Allowed?"

"The Lycan binding itself to the Sovereign changes the balance between every bloodline."

"It was never a choice," Kael replied coldly.

Those words silenced the chamber more effectively than shouting ever could because every wolf present understood exactly what he meant.

The Lycan had chosen her through pure instinct rather than laws created by the council or bonds forced by tradition. That realization unsettled the chamber more than anything else because it meant the connection between Kael and Ariana existed beyond the control of the territories themselves.

Vormerion continued watching Kael carefully, ancient eyes narrowing slightly as though studying him more deeply than before.

"The Storm Wolf bloodline changed faster than expected," the dragon said calmly.

Kael held his gaze steadily. "You noticed."

"The last time we met, the Lycan still slept beneath your blood."

Silence spread heavily through the chamber again.

Several elders looked visibly shaken now.

The oldest dragon already knew Kael.

Worse, he spoke about the Lycan awakening as though it had always been inevitable.

One of the northern Alphas frowned deeply. "You are speaking as though this was destined."

Vormerion’s attention shifted toward him. "It was."

The answer struck the room harder than any threat.

"No," one elder said immediately. "The Lycan line nearly destroyed the territories generations ago."

"Because the balance was broken," Vormerion replied calmly.

The dragon’s eyes shifted briefly toward Ariana before returning to the council.

"The Lycan was never meant to awaken alone."

A cold silence settled through the chamber.

Lucien closed his eyes briefly like he already understood where the conversation was heading before anyone else did.

One elder looked horrified. "What does that mean?"

Vormerion’s voice lowered slightly, though somehow it only made the chamber feel more tense.

"The Sovereign restores balance between bloodlines," he said. "The Lycan protects it."

Ariana felt Kael stiffen beside her immediately.

Not because he disagreed.

Because somewhere deep down, part of him already recognized the truth in those words.

One of the warriors near the walls suddenly spoke, his voice uneasy. "If both ancient bloodlines awakened together..."

He stopped before finishing the sentence.

He did not need to.

Everyone inside the chamber already understood the implication.

The legends were real.

And they were standing together inside the council hall.

Outside, another roar thundered across the mountains while enormous golden shadows moved through the skies above the territory. The younger dragons continued circling overhead, but none of them descended further while Vormerion remained inside the chamber.

Almost like they were waiting.

One elder suddenly looked toward the bronze dragon sharply. "If the Sovereign has truly returned, then why come now after remaining hidden for centuries?"

For the first time since entering the chamber, Vormerion’s expression changed enough to unsettle Ariana.

The ancient dragon looked serious now.

"Because the Abyss is moving again."

The room went completely still.

Even Kael’s expression hardened immediately.

Cold spread through Ariana’s chest as memories surfaced inside her mind.

The Abyss Titan.

The ancient enemy from before.

One of the elders frowned deeply. "That war ended generations ago."

"No," Vormerion replied quietly. "It slept."

The chamber suddenly felt colder.

"The Sovereign awakened first," the dragon continued. "Then the Lycan."

His ancient eyes shifted toward Ariana and Kael together.

"And the Abyss felt both."

Silence crashed through the room.

Then, far beyond the mountains surrounding the territory, another roar echoed across the night sky.

But this time, it did not belong to a dragon.