Chapter 161 up
Smoke still rose from the ruins of Valerith when the accusations began.
At first, the news spread slowly—fragmented reports carried by traders fleeing the city and by emergency messages sent from the surviving communication towers.
A neutral city had been attacked.
Hundreds were dead.
The market district was destroyed.
Witnesses claimed to have seen warriors wearing both Alliance insignia and the crimson claw symbol associated with Kael’s forces.
Within hours, the story reached every major territory in the werewolf world.
By nightfall, it had become something far more dangerous than a report.
It had become outrage.
Inside the Alliance capital, the atmosphere in the grand council chamber was explosive.
Dozens of Alphas had gathered around the circular table, their voices rising over each other in anger.
“This is unacceptable!”
“They attacked civilians!”
“A neutral city!”
One Alpha slammed his fist against the table.
“We warned you this would happen!”
At the center of the chamber, Lyra sat in silence.
She listened to the accusations without interrupting.
But the tension in the room was impossible to ignore.
Alpha Virek stood from his seat, his gray fur bristling with fury.
“Valerith trusted our neutrality agreement!”
He pointed toward the large screen displaying images from the ruined city.
Burned buildings.
Collapsed streets.
Rows of bodies covered in white cloth.
“And now it’s destroyed!”
Another Alpha spoke sharply.
“Witnesses saw warriors wearing Kael’s symbol!”
Several others nodded angrily.
“This was his doing.”
“An attack meant to provoke us.”
One of the younger Alphas leaned forward.
“We cannot allow this insult to go unanswered.”
“Then what do you suggest?” another demanded.
“War.”
The word hung in the air like a spark near dry tinder.
Several Alphas murmured in agreement.
Others looked uneasy.
But the anger in the room was undeniable.
Finally Alpha Virek turned toward Lyra.
“Well?”
All eyes followed his gaze.
Lyra remained calm.
Too calm, some of them thought.
Her voice was steady when she finally spoke.
“You believe Kael ordered this attack.”
“Yes,” several Alphas said at once.
Lyra leaned back slightly in her chair.
“And you’re certain?”
The question seemed to irritate them.
“What else could it be?” one Alpha demanded.
“His symbol was seen!”
Lyra studied their faces.
Fear.
Anger.
And something else.
Pressure.
The entire Alliance was watching.
They expected a response.
A strong one.
Alpha Virek spoke again.
“If we do nothing, the other territories will think we are weak.”
Several heads nodded.
Lyra understood their concern.
Reputation mattered in the werewolf world.
Strength mattered.
But acting too quickly could be exactly what the enemy wanted.
She folded her hands calmly.
“We will investigate.”
The reaction was immediate.
“Investigate?” one Alpha scoffed.
“A neutral city has been burned!”
Another Alpha leaned forward.
“Lyra, with respect… this is not the time for hesitation.”
Lyra’s eyes hardened slightly.
“Acting without certainty would be worse.”
Virek frowned.
“Worse than doing nothing?”
Lyra met his gaze.
“Yes.”
The room fell quiet for a moment.
But the tension didn’t disappear.
It only shifted.
Because even if Lyra refused to say it openly, everyone in that room knew the truth.
The world already believed the Alliance was responsible.
Or at least partially responsible.
And if they didn’t respond soon…
The anger might turn inward.
Far to the north, the situation inside Kael’s fortress was no better.
The war council chamber was filled with pack leaders from across the independent territories.
Their reactions mirrored those of the Alliance almost perfectly.
“They attacked Valerith!”
“The Alliance crossed the line!”
“They slaughtered civilians!”
Torren stood near the edge of the chamber, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold with visible frustration.
At the center of the room, Kael remained standing beside the map table.
The images from Valerith were displayed there too.
The burning city.
The ruined markets.
The bodies.
One Alpha slammed his hand on the table.
“We warned you the Alliance couldn’t be trusted!”
Another growled.
“They sent their soldiers into neutral territory.”
“Then they blamed us!”
Kael finally spoke.
“Did they?”
The room went quiet.
The Alpha blinked.
“What?”
Kael pointed to the images again.
“Do you see Alliance soldiers?”
The Alpha frowned.
“No, but—”
“Witnesses saw symbols,” Kael interrupted.
Torren sighed quietly.
Here we go again.
Another Alpha spoke impatiently.
“That’s enough proof for me.”
Several others nodded.
“They’ve been preparing for war.”
“This was their excuse.”
Kael’s expression remained calm, but his voice grew slightly colder.
“You think the Alliance burned Valerith to start a war?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely.”
Kael folded his arms.
“Then they’re idiots.”
The statement shocked the room.
Torren hid a small smile.
One Alpha scowled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kael gestured toward the map.
“Attacking a neutral city guarantees retaliation from every independent pack.”
The Alpha opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Kael continued.
“If Lyra wanted war, she could start it much more effectively.”
Torren nodded slightly.
That part was true.
But logic was rarely the loudest voice during moments of anger.
Another Alpha spoke sharply.
“Then what are you suggesting?”
“That we do nothing?”
Kael looked at him.
“I’m suggesting we think.”
The Alpha snorted.
“Thinking won’t stop their attacks.”
Torren finally stepped forward.
“Actually,” he said calmly, “thinking might stop us from walking straight into a trap.”
Several Alphas glared at him.
Torren ignored them.
“Both factions were seen at Valerith.”
He gestured toward the screen.
“Does that seem convenient to anyone else?”
A few of the older Alphas exchanged uneasy looks.
But many others remained unconvinced.
One Alpha growled,
“Are you saying the witnesses are lying?”
Torren shrugged.
“I’m saying something doesn’t add up.”
Kael spoke again.
“We investigate before we retaliate.”
The reaction was immediate.
“You’re hesitating!”
“We look weak!”
“They attacked civilians!”
Kael’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
“Enough.”
Silence fell instantly.
Kael’s gaze moved across the chamber.
“Anger is exactly what our enemies want.”
Several Alphas frowned.
“Enemies?”
Kael didn’t elaborate.
Not yet.
The truth about the Eclipse Order was still too dangerous to reveal.
But the frustration in the room made one thing clear.
The pressure was building.
Not just from the outside world.
But from their own followers.
Across the werewolf world, the reactions were spreading like wildfire.
Neutral packs held emergency meetings.
Merchants closed trade routes.
Border patrols increased.
And everywhere, the same question was asked.
Who was responsible?
Unfortunately, the answers people chose were rarely the same.
Some blamed the Alliance.
Others blamed Kael’s faction.
But almost everyone agreed on one thing.
The leaders of both sides were responsible.
In a tavern near the eastern territories, a group of traders argued loudly over the news.
“Lyra should have controlled her people.”
“No, Kael’s wolves started this!”
“They’re both power-hungry.”
“They’ve been pushing toward war for months.”
An older wolf sitting near the fire finally spoke.
“It doesn’t matter who started it.”
The others looked at him.
“This war belongs to both of them now.”
The words spread quickly.
From taverns.
From marketplaces.
From council halls.
A single idea began forming in the minds of wolves everywhere.
Lyra and Kael had allowed the world to reach this point.
Their rivalry.
Their power struggle.
Their conflict.
And now a city had burned because of it.
Even wolves who respected them began questioning their leadership.
Even allies started wondering if the two most powerful leaders in the world had lost control.
Far away, hidden deep within a fortified complex unknown to the rest of the world, an agent of the Eclipse Order watched the news reports.
Images of Valerith’s destruction flashed across the screen.
Commentators debated responsibility.
Angry pack leaders demanded action.
Public opinion shifted like a rising tide.
The agent smiled faintly.
The plan was working perfectly.
The world no longer trusted its leaders.
And once trust was gone…
Conflict became inevitable.
He turned to the tall figure standing near the window.
“The reaction is exactly as predicted.”
The leader of the Eclipse Order nodded slowly.
Outside, dark clouds rolled across the sky.
“Good.”
He looked back at the screen showing the ruined city.
“Soon they will turn on each other.”
The agent asked quietly,
“And Lyra and Kael?”
The leader’s smile was thin.
“They will try to stop it.”
He paused.
“But by then…”
His gaze returned to the burning ruins of Valerith.
“The world will already blame them.”