Chapter 6 The Council of Claws

The moon was a thin crescent in the sky when Kael led Amelia into the Hall of Ancients, an underground chamber hidden beneath a waterfall, carved from blackstone and etched with runes that shimmered as she passed. It smelled of moss and smoke, with whispers echoing off the walls like voices from the past.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Amelia whispered, heart thudding as they descended the stone steps. Her fingers grazed her mark; it still tingled, as if aware of where they were headed.

"You're not," Kael said flatly, "but we don't have time. The other Alphas want answers, and they'll want to test your loyalty."

"Test? I didn't sign up for this game of thrones."

He gave a dry smile. "It's not a game, Amelia. It's war, and you're the fire in the center of it."

The doors opened to reveal a massive stone table surrounded by six imposing figures, Alphas from each of the neighboring clans. Some shifted uncomfortably when they saw her. Others narrowed their eyes, like they could smell her humanity beneath her skin.

"She's the one?" growled Alpha Magnus, a hulking brute with gray streaks in his beard. "The Fire Queen is supposed to be powerful. This girl looks like she belongs in a library, not a battlefield."

Amelia stepped forward before Kael could respond. "I was in a library. Studying humans who kept their mouths shut until they knew the whole story."

The room fell silent. A few chuckled. Alpha Lysandra, a lean woman with a silver braid and calculating eyes, leaned in. "Bold. But boldness doesn't make you worthy. You carry the Flame, yes, but is it yours, or a mistake of fate?"

Before Amelia could answer, the table rumbled. The rune in her palm lit up. A flame shot across the table's surface, forming the shape of a phoenix.

Gasps filled the chamber.

Kael stepped beside her. "The Flame has chosen. Again. No mistake."

Alpha Magnus stood slowly, uneasy. "If this girl is truly the Fire Queen reborn, then we all have a bigger problem."

"What problem?" Amelia asked.

He stared at her with haunted eyes. "Because the last time she came... she brought death with her."