The hall was filled with uneasy murmurs as the pack elders exchanged glances. Misery stood in the center, her silver eyes steady despite the scrutiny aimed at her from every corner of the room.
One elder, a broad-shouldered man with streaks of gray in his hair, stepped forward. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, his expression cold.
“You expect us to believe this?” he said, his voice low and harsh. “That after all these years, you’ve just appeared and suddenly claim to know where the child is? It sounds more like a trick to me.”
Misery turned her gaze to him, unflinching in the face of his skepticism.
“I’m not asking you to believe me,” she said evenly. “I’m asking Eryon to.”
The elder scoffed, shaking his head. “And if this is another Shadowbound scheme? If she’s a bait to draw us into a trap?”
Lyra stepped forward, her hand instinctively resting on her belly. “We can’t ignore this,” she said, her voice firm but tempered with caution. “If there’s even a chance she’s telling the truth, we have to consider it.”
The elder’s amber eyes flicked to Lyra, his tone sharp. “And what if she’s lying? Would you risk this pack for a ghost?”
Before Lyra could respond, Eryon’s voice cut through the tension. “Enough.”
All eyes turned to him as he stepped forward, his posture steady but his expression heavy with emotion. His amber eyes met Misery’s, searching her face for the truth. Whatever he saw there seemed to anchor his resolve.
“If there’s even a chance she’s alive,” he said slowly, his voice carrying through the hall, “I’ll do whatever it takes to find her.”
The elder frowned, clearly unhappy, but he didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned and strode back to his seat, his arms still crossed. The room remained tense, the air thick with unspoken doubts and fears.
Misery let out a slow breath, her gaze never leaving Eryon.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Eryon nodded, though the weight of the decision was clear in his expression. “This isn’t just about you or me,” he said. “This is about her. If she’s out there, we owe it to her to bring her home.”
The room fell silent once more.