The storm over the capital worsened before dawn.
Snow buried the streets beneath layers of silver-white frost while freezing winds howled against the towers of noble estates. Lanterns flickered weakly along the roads leading toward the imperial palace, their dim light swallowed by the heavy winter darkness creeping across the city.
Inside House Valemont, no one slept.
Servants moved quietly through the corridors carrying sealed documents, fresh candles, and trays of untouched tea. Guards had doubled across the estate grounds after midnight, though the atmosphere felt less like protection and more like preparation for an approaching siege.
Rumors were spreading too quickly.
Another archive attack.
Dead guards.
Messages written in blood.
And at the center of everything --
The awakening of the Moon Wolf.
