Kaelen POV
The scouts returned throughout the afternoon with increasingly concerning reports.
"Theron's forces are shifting east, Alpha King," the lead scout reported, spreading a hastily drawn map on the war room table. "Thousands of them. Vampires, thralls, mercenaries. They're not just moving toward the Thornwall. They're fortifying positions. Building encampments. This isn't preparation for a parley. This is preparation for war."
I studied the map, noting the strategic placements. He'd positioned forces at every major approach to the Thornwall. Every escape route. Every advantage point.
"He's surrounding it," Gregor observed, leaning over the table. "Creating a perimeter. Anyone who goes to that parley will be trapped inside."
"That's the point." I straightened. "He wants us vulnerable. Wants to control the environment completely."
"Then we don't go," the sharp-faced council woman said firmly. "We cancel the parley. Tell him to come here if he wants to talk."
"And look weak? Look afraid?" I shook my head. "That's exactly what he wants. To make us look like cowards in front of both kingdoms."
"Better to look like cowards than to die like fools," she shot back.
The door opened. Elara walked in, Mira close behind her. Both of them looked exhausted. Elara's face was pale, dark circles under her eyes. But her expression was determined.
"How many?" she asked without preamble.
"How many what?" Gregor asked.
"How many troops is Theron bringing?"
I exchanged glances with the scouts. "Conservative estimate? Five thousand. Maybe more."
She nodded like she'd expected that answer. "And how many can we bring to match?"
"We're not bringing anyone," I said firmly. "The parley was supposed to be minimal guards. Neutral ground. Just us talking. But he's violated that agreement. So we're not going."
"Yes, we are."
"Elara—"
"We're going because not going means he wins by default." She moved to the table, studied the map. "He's betting we'll be too afraid. Too smart. That we'll see his army and cancel. That gives him the moral high ground. Makes us look like we're refusing to negotiate. Refusing peace."
"There is no peace with someone who brings an army to a parley," Gregor said.
"Maybe not. But there's information." She pointed to the map. "Look at his positioning. He's not preparing to attack us here. He's preparing to contain something. To make sure whatever happens at the Thornwall stays at the Thornwall."
"What does that mean?" Mira asked.
"It means he knows something's coming. Something big. And he wants to be ready." Elara looked at me. "We need to go. We need to hear what he has to say. See what he knows. Understand what he's planning."
"Absolutely not." I crossed my arms. "I forbid it. You're not leaving this summit. Not while his army is positioned to slaughter everyone who shows up."
"You can't forbid me—"
"I'm Alpha King. This is my territory. My pack. My decision." My voice came out harder than I intended. "You're staying here where it's safe. Where I can protect you. End of discussion."
Her eyes flashed with anger. "So we're back to this. You making decisions for me. Locking me up for my own good."
"This is different—"
"It's not different. It's exactly the same." She stepped closer. "You promised me choice. You promised me agency. And now you're taking it away the moment things get dangerous."
"Because I love you!" The words burst out. Raw. Desperate. "Because I can't watch you walk into a slaughter. Can't stand by while you throw your life away on some principle about freedom and choice."
The room went silent.
Elara stared at me. Something flickering in her expression. Pain maybe. Or understanding.
"I know you love me," she said quietly. "But love without trust is just another cage."
She turned and walked out. Mira followed her, casting me an apologetic look.
The council waited until the door closed before speaking.
"She's right, you know," Gregor said. "About the positioning. Theron's not preparing to attack the summit. He's preparing to contain the parley site."
"Then he knows something we don't." I rubbed my face. "And we won't know what until we're already trapped."
"So we don't go," the sharp-faced woman repeated. "We fortify here. Let him make the first move."
"And if that's exactly what he wants? For us to stay defensive while he controls the narrative?" I looked at the map again. "No. We need intelligence. Need to know what he's planning."
"Send spies," she suggested. "Scouts. Anyone but you and her."
"He'll be watching for that. Expecting it." I thought about Elara's face. Her anger. Her determination. "She's going to try to go anyway. You know that, right? The moment we're not watching, she'll slip out and head to the Thornwall on her own."
"Then lock her in her room," Gregor said. "Post guards. Make sure she can't leave."
"That'll just prove her point. That I'm no better than a jailer." I shook my head. "But I can't let her walk into Theron's trap either."
"So what do you do?" Mira asked from the doorway.
We all turned. She'd come back without Elara.
"Where is she?" I demanded.
"Planning." Mira leaned against the doorframe. "Planning how to attend that parley whether you allow it or not. Because you're right. She won't stay locked up. Won't accept being protected against her will."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Let her go. But in disguise. Hidden. Where Theron won't see her coming." Mira straightened. "She can observe. Gather intelligence. Hear what he says. All without exposing herself to his trap."
"That's still dangerous—"
"Everything's dangerous." Mira cut me off. "But at least this way she has agency. Has choice. And we have someone on the inside reporting back what's really happening."
I wanted to refuse. Wanted to lock down the summit and keep everyone safe inside.
But Mira was right. Elara would go anyway. Better to know her plan and prepare for it than to have her sneak off without backup.
"Fine," I said finally. "But she doesn't go alone. You go with her. In disguise. Both of you. And the moment things go wrong, you run. You don't fight. You don't try to be heroes. You just get out."
"Agreed." Mira nodded. "I'll tell her."
She left to find Elara.
The council looked at me with varying degrees of disapproval.
"You're making a mistake," the sharp-faced woman said.
"Maybe." I looked at the map again. At Theron's army surrounding the Thornwall. "But it's her mistake to make. All I can do is try to keep her alive through it."
"And if you can't?"
"Then I die trying." Simple. True. "Because that's what love is. Trusting someone enough to let them make their own choices. Even when those choices terrify you."
The council dispersed to make preparations. I stood alone in the war room, staring at the map.
Tomorrow at noon. The Thornwall. Both armies. Both kings.
And Elara, hidden somewhere in the chaos, observing. Gathering intelligence. Making her own choices about her own fate.
I just hoped those choices didn't get her killed.
Through the bond, I felt her. Still angry. Still determined. But also something else.
Gratitude maybe. That I'd chosen trust over control. Even when it hurt.
Tomorrow, everything would change. One way or another.
I just hoped we'd all survive to see what came after.