The fire hadn’t even died out by the time we reached the main gates of the pack estate. Flames still curled along the ridges of the ruined outpost, smoke trailing like a silent banner into the sky behind us. But even with the heat still clinging to our skin and soot etched into the lines of our hands, there was no relief.
Not yet. This was just the start of what I planned on showing them we had left.
The guards stood straighter when they saw us pull in. Our convoy’s engines cut through the silence as we rolled to a stop, the windows streaked with ash, and hoods still warm from the blaze. Their eyes widened when we stepped out, covered in blood and soot, our posture hard and unyielding. We hadn’t come back broken. We hadn’t come back limping. We’d come back burning.
Jenne was waiting. H
