Hope's POV.
The sun is out.
Really out. No veil of mist. No angry clouds crowding the sky. Just pure, golden warmth pouring down on Black Hollow like a blessing.
It feels… strange. Beautiful. Foreign.
I stand barefoot in the tall grass just outside the pack house, tilting my face toward the light with my eyes closed. The heat kisses my skin gently, and for the first time in weeks, I allow my shoulders to drop, my breath to slow.
All around me, the clearing hums with life. Wolves lounge in patches of wildflowers, some in human form and others curled in fur, dozing or play-fighting like pups. Laughter floats through the air — light, careless, and wholly out of place after everything we’ve been through.
But it’s welcome.
I find a quiet spot beneath the old pine near the tree line and s
