The Names That Could No Longer Hide
The first name arrived before sunrise.
It was not delivered with ceremony. No witnesses were summoned. No banners were raised. It came as a single record etched into the public ledger, timestamped and unaltered.
Authority action.
Location.
Decision.
Responsible party.
The name beneath it was unmistakable.
A senior Stonecliff Alpha.
Lucien read it once, then again, as if expecting the letters to rearrange themselves.
"You did it," he said quietly.
"Yes," I replied.
Cassian stood beside the record stone, hands still, expression unreadable. "Once this begins, it does not stop."
"That is the point," I said.
The basin was already awake. Whispers moved faster than runners ever could. Wolves gathered in clusters, eyes drawn again and again to the ledger where the entry glowed faintly.
Not with power.
With permanence.
Alaric approached, gaze sharp. "Stonecliff will respond immediately."
"Yes," I replied. "They must."
