The council chamber had never been more divided.
News of Bryn's discovery had spread like wildfire through the kingdom—carried by messengers, whispered by servants, debated in taverns and market squares. Humans and wolves shared enough biology to interbreed and transform. The marker proved it. The research proved it. The ancient texts, once dismissed as myth, proved it.
If species division was political rather than natural, then hierarchy based on species had no foundation.
The chamber was packed for the emergency session. Every noble who could travel had come. Scholars filled the gallery. Bella sat in the front row, her presence a living reminder of what the research meant. Lord Pemberton had returned to his seat, no longer leading the Pure Blood League but still watching, still sceptical.
Aeron stood at the head of the table; his face carved from ice. "The debate is open."
