Free Web NovelChapter 100: Chapter 100: Festival Of Firsts
The following days brought new routines. Lila practiced her shielding in the main yard with trusted fighters watching. She dulled strikes and protected volunteers, her control improving with each session.
Thorne sat in planting meetings and pointed out better drainage patterns that saved labor.
Elara worked in the healing huts under supervision, easing pain in warriors recovering from old wounds.
The pack saw their efforts and slowly shifted from whispers to pride.
One afternoon I watched from the walls as a southern trader caravan left with fair exchange and firm boundaries. Varak had not returned, but his influence lingered in careful messages and probing questions from other visitors. We answered each one the same. Our children stayed home.
That night the kings and I gathered with the children on the high balcony. Stars filled the sky above the quiet fields. Lila pointed out constellations she had learned. Thorne explained why certain stars helped with planting times. Elara leaned against my side and hummed softly.
Darius rested his hand on my shoulder. Kane sat close enough that our knees touched. Rylan stretched out with Lila using his chest as a pillow. The bond flowed warm between us, carrying the simple joy of another safe day.
The children’s gifts had drawn eyes from beyond our borders. New alliances tested old loyalties. Yet here under familiar stars with my family close, the path forward felt clear.
We would guide their power with care. We would protect their futures with steel and will. And we would remind every outsider that Frostfang kept what belonged to it.
The ground kept giving. The walls kept holding. Our family kept choosing each other through every new challenge.
And we kept building the life we had won, one protected moment at a time.
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Harvest Festival filled the bailey with color and sound. Lanterns hung from every post. Tables groaned under fresh bread, roasted meats, and baskets of early apples.
The pack moved with easy laughter, children weaving between legs while music played from a raised platform. I stood near the center with the kings beside me, watching Lila lead Thorne and Elara through the crowd.
This year we had decided to let the children show their gifts openly during the main ceremony. No more hiding. The pack needed to see them as part of Frostfang’s strength. Lila walked with her head high. Thorne kept pace with thoughtful steps. Elara held her brother’s hand, her small face bright with excitement.
When the music quieted I stepped forward. "Today we celebrate more than grain. We celebrate the future walking among us. Lila, Thorne, Elara, come show what you have learned."
The crowd gathered closer. Lila went first. She faced a volunteer fighter and raised her hand. The shimmer appeared around the man as he swung a padded blade. The strike slowed harmlessly. Gasps turned to murmurs of approval.
Thorne stepped up next. He studied a section of the wall and pointed to a weak joint.
"That stone will shift in heavy rain. Better to brace it now."
Workers nodded and moved to check. Elara knelt beside an older wolf with a stiff leg. Her touch eased the limp within moments. The animal wagged its tail and licked her face.
The pack cheered. Pride swelled in my chest as I watched them stand together. Their gifts served the whole instead of remaining secrets. Darius rested a hand on my shoulder. Kane nodded with quiet satisfaction. Rylan grinned wide.
Then Thorne froze. His small face paled as he stared at the central well where festival drinks flowed. "Mama. The water feels wrong. Like slow poison under sweetness. Someone put something bad in it weeks ago."
The words cut through the cheers. Silence spread. An elder named Garrick’s second, a trusted man named Rowan, stepped back from the crowd. His hand moved toward a hidden blade. Before anyone could react he lunged toward Thorne.
Lila reacted faster. She thrust both hands forward. The shimmer expanded in a wide dome around her siblings. Rowan’s strike slowed and bounced harmlessly away. He stumbled, eyes wide with shock. Guards seized him instantly.
I moved through the crowd and stood over the man as he struggled. "You poisoned our water. You tried to silence my son. Who paid you?" freewebnovel.cσ๓
Rowan spat blood but said nothing at first. The pack pressed closer, anger rising. I knelt so our eyes met. "Speak or face judgment without mercy."
"Ironvein," he finally gasped. "They wanted weakness inside the walls. Slow sickness to make you need their healers and their alliances. I took their gold months ago."
The revelation hit like a blow. Murmurs turned to growls. I stood and faced the pack. "Rowan betrayed us for southern coin. He poisoned the well to weaken our children and our strength. Today we judge him here."
The trial moved swiftly in the open bailey. Evidence came from water tests Thorne had sensed and healers confirmed. Rowan confessed fully under pressure. He had acted alone but received payments through traders. The pack listened in heavy silence.
I pronounced sentence at the center of the gathering. "You chose gold over loyalty. You threatened our children’s lives. Banishment beyond the borders. Your name struck from our rolls. If you return, steel waits."
Guards dragged him away as the sun dipped lower. The festival continued but with sharper edges. I gathered the children close while the kings stood guard. Lila still trembled from using her power so widely. Thorne looked pale but determined. Elara held my hand tight.
"You saved us," I told them. "All of you. Your gifts protected the pack today."
That night in the royal chambers we kept them near. The kings and I spoke in low voices after they slept. Darius paced near the window. "Ironvein plays a long game. We cut ties completely."
Kane checked the door locks again. "And we test every well and supply from now on." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Rylan sat on the bed edge. "The pack stands firmer after this. They saw the children protect them."
I looked at the three small figures sleeping peacefully and felt the familiar fierce love rise. The festival had shown both beauty and danger. Their powers had saved lives today, but they had also drawn clearer lines around us.
We would guide them with even greater care. We would watch every southern move. And we would turn this betrayal into stronger unity.
Frostfang had faced the knife at its own table. Now it would grow sharper in response.
The days after the festival moved with heavy purpose. I walked the walls each morning checking repairs while the pack cleared the last traces of celebration.
Rowan’s banishment left a silence that echoed through the halls. I had judged him myself in front of everyone. The weight of that decision pressed on my shoulders even when I tried to set it aside.
One afternoon I found a quiet corner in the old library and sat among dusty scrolls. The children trained in the yard below under careful watch. Their laughter carried up through the window but could not fully drown the memory of Rowan’s eyes when I named his punishment.
I had protected my family. Yet the act of casting out one of our own left a bitter taste that no amount of water could wash away.
Darius found me there. He closed the door softly and sat beside me on the low bench. His hand covered mine without words at first. The bond carried his steady calm like a deep river.
"You did what had to be done," he said finally. "He chose gold over blood. You chose the pack."
"I know." My voice came rough. "But judging one of our own feels different from killing on the battlefield. It stays with me."
He turned my face toward him. "Then let it stay. Feel it. Then let it teach you. You carry the pack on your shoulders every day. We see the cost. We carry it with you."
His kiss came slow and grounding. We stayed like that until the weight in my chest eased enough to breathe easier. Darius had always offered strength without demand. Today it felt like an anchor I needed more than air.
Kane waited for me in the healing huts later that evening. Elara had fallen asleep after helping with a minor wound. He took my hand and led me to a private alcove. We sat on the stone floor with our backs against the wall. His scarred fingers traced patterns on my palm.
"You carry the hardest choices alone sometimes," he said. "Even when we stand beside you. Let me take some of that tonight."
I leaned into his side. Kane spoke less than the others but his silence held depth. He listened as I put words to the doubt that had crept in since the judgment.
The fear that power would change me into someone the children might one day fear. He did not offer easy comfort.
Instead he shared his own memories of watching his father’s choices poison their bloodline. His voice stayed low and steady as he reminded me that we chose differently every single day.
We stayed there until the lanterns burned low. Kane’s presence reminded me that scars could mark strength instead of failure. When we finally rose I felt steadier, the judgment still present but no longer crushing.
