POV: Ayla

“You have a courtesy copy from the council annex, miss,” the aide says politely as he hands me the sealed envelope in the corridor outside the main hall. “Standard procedure when a ward is named in any formal claim or counter-claim. The Alphas asked that you receive it directly.”

I thank him quietly and wait until he walks away before breaking the seal. The corridor is relatively empty, the afternoon light slanting through tall windows and casting long shadows across the stone floor. I unfold the document expecting another update on the ongoing summit proceedings, but the title stops me cold: “Counter-Response to Household Continuity Filing – Formal...