The battle is over, but the work isn't. Bodies need burial. Wounded need tending. Prisoners need securing.
By evening, healers stabilize Rhys. The wound is severe but survivable.
Runners leave at dawn the next morning. Seven riders to seven territories, carrying identical messages sealed with Darius's crest.
I spend the next two days organizing evidence. The journal sits on a table in Ironvale's great hall. I arrange the intercepted letters beside it. Sera's testimony, written down by a scribe. Kieran's account of the massacre. My own story.
Kieran finds me on the second afternoon. "You should rest."
"I can't." I gesture to the papers. "What if we missed something? What if the Council dismisses it?"
"They won't." He takes my hand. "The evidence is clear."
"Evidence can be interpreted. Explained away."
"Not this time." His grip tightens.
I want to believe him.
The Council of Alphas arrives on the third day.
Seven of them. Representing the major territories. I watch from the courtyard as they file through Ironvale's gates.
Alpha Darius greets them formally. Offers hospitality. They accept with clipped politeness.
By afternoon, the tribunal convenes.
Ironvale's great hall has been transformed. The long tables are arranged in a horseshoe, the Council seated at the head. Witnesses fill benches along the sides. Guards line the walls.
I sit in the front row beside Kieran.
Darius stands to present evidence. "Three days ago, Beta Ashrock of Ironvale attempted to invade Nightshade territory. Before the battle, evidence emerged proving genocide against the Bloodfang Tribe fifteen years ago."
He gestures to the evidence table. "Alpha Torrhen's private journal. Intercepted correspondence. Multiple witness testimonies."
The eldest Alpha, a woman named Celeste with silver hair and eyes like steel, examines the journal first. She reads in silence. Pages turn slowly. Her expression doesn't change, but something hardens around her mouth.
She passes it to the next Alpha. Then the next. It moves around the horseshoe. Some read quickly. Others linger on certain passages. All of them grow quieter as they read.
"Elder Maren," Celeste says. "Please approach."
Maren steps forward, leaning on a cane.
"You were part of Ironvale's council during the Bloodfang massacre?"
"I was."
"Did you know the attack was planned?"
Maren hesitates. Then nods. "I suspected. Alpha Torrhen called emergency sessions. Discussed Bloodfang as threats. I argued against military action. Suggested negotiation instead."
"What happened?"
"Ashrock presented evidence of Bloodfang aggression. Border raids. Stolen supplies. It seemed credible." Her voice drops. "I was too afraid to stand against my Alpha and Beta. I will regret that cowardice until I die."
"Thank you, Elder. You may sit."
Maren returns to her seat, her shoulders bowed.
"Kieran of Bloodfang," Celeste calls. "Approach."
Kieran stands. He walks to the center with steady steps. Faces the Council without flinching.
"Tell us your account."
He does. Every word is clean, factual, devastating.
The Alphas listen without interrupting.
When he finishes, Celeste asks one question. "The attack three days ago. Who started it?"
"Ashrock marched on Nightshade with three hundred warriors. We defended our territory."
"And Ashrock's death?"
"He died in lawful combat. Killed by Ardena of Bloodfang in single combat before witnesses."
"Thank you. You may sit."
Kieran returns to my side.
"Ardena of Bloodfang," Celeste says. "Approach."
My legs shake as I stand. I walk forward, feeling every eye in the hall on my back.
"You were raised as Ironvale," Celeste says. "Married to their Alpha. Why should we believe you're Bloodfang?"
I lift my shirt, exposing the crescent scar on my ribs. "The chieftain's mark. Only direct bloodline carries it."
Celeste examines it from her seat. Nods. "How did you learn the truth?"
"Kieran told me. I didn't believe him at first. But I investigated. Found the archive records showing one female child survivor. The timing matched my earliest memories." I lower my shirt. "Or lack of memories. I don't remember anything before age six."
"Because the trauma erased it," Celeste says quietly. "Common in young survivors."
She dismisses me. I return to my seat, legs still shaking.
The Alphas read through remaining evidence. Intercepted letters. Sera's written testimony. Darius's account of Ashrock's invasion.
Finally, they deliberate privately. Everyone else waits in tense silence.
An hour passes. Then another.
Kieran squeezes my hand. "Whatever happens, we're together."
"I know."
The Alphas return. File back to their seats with expressions that reveal nothing.
Celeste stands. "The evidence is clear. Alpha Torrhen and Beta Ashrock conspired to commit genocide against the Bloodfang Tribe. They fabricated evidence of aggression, provoked conflict, and massacred innocent wolves including women and children."
Her voice carries across the silent hall. "Ashrock is dead. Alpha Torrhen is dead. But their crimes must be answered."
She looks toward the door. "Bring in Alpha Rhys."
Guards open the doors. Rhys enters, leaning heavily on a crutch. His face is still swollen, his movements careful. But he walks without assistance, facing the Council directly.
"You were Alpha during recent aggression," Celeste says. "What is your defense?"
"I have none." His voice is rough but steady. "I was ignorant of my father's crimes. I should have investigated. I didn't."
He looks at me. "I claimed what was never mine. Tried to own someone instead of knowing her. I forced a bond that shouldn't have existed. I have no defense for any of it."
Silence falls.
"The Council will deliberate your fate," Celeste says.
They withdraw again. This time, only thirty minutes pass before they return.
"Alpha Rhys," Celeste announces. "You are guilty of negligence and abuse of power. However, your actions during the coup, your testimony against your own pack's crimes, and your sacrifice saving Kieran of Bloodfang demonstrate capacity for honor."
She pauses. "Therefore, Ironvale's eastern territories return to Bloodfang's heirs. Reparations of livestock and supplies for five years. Council oversight of all major decisions for the same period. You retain your position as Alpha, conditional on complete cooperation and reform."
Rhys nods once. "I accept."
I stand. "I want to formally dissolve the bond created at our wedding."
"It was false from the start," Rhys says quietly. "Political arrangement, nothing more." He faces the Council. "Before these witnesses: I release all claims to Ardena of Bloodfang. The bond is severed."
Something loosens in my chest. A weight I didn't realize I was carrying.
Rhys looks at Kieran. "Take care of her."
"I will."