The world snapped back into place with a sharp rush of air and the solid press of ground beneath my feet. Calen appeared a step to our left, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the last echoes of shifting space.
And then I looked up.
My breath caught.
As far as the eye could see, the land had been claimed—not by one pack, but by many. Tents stretched across the open plains like a sea of canvas and steel, banners snapping in the wind, each marked with sigils I recognized and others I didn’t. Campfires burned in clusters, their smoke rising in pale threads into the darkening sky. The scent hit me all at once—wolf, leather, iron, magic, sweat, earth.
So many warriors.
They moved everywhere: some armored and armed, others half-shifted as they trained, sparred, or patrolled the perimet
