Chapter 22:A DESPERATE GAMBLE

I returned to Silverclaw with the weight of Draven’s ultimatum hanging heavy on my shoulders. The forest seemed darker, the air colder, as though the shadows themselves were pressing down on me. Each step felt like a battle, my mind swirling with the vision Draven had forced upon me. I could still see it—the destruction, the death. My death.

As I approached the heart of the pack, I could sense the tension in the air. Everyone knew something was coming. It was like a storm on the horizon, inevitable and merciless. I found Morwenna waiting for me in the council chamber, her eyes sharp and unreadable.

“Seraphina,” she greeted me, her voice low. “What did Draven say?”

I took a deep breath and recounted the meeting—the twisted vision, the ultimatum, and the darkness that clung to Draven like a second skin. As I spoke, Morwenna’s expression grew graver, her frown deepening.

When I finished, the room fell into a heavy silence. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, but it did little to ward