The heavy canvas walls of the command pavilion seemed to press inward, suffocating me with the lingering scent of burnt wood and the dark musk of the Lycan King’s recent claim. Callum’s promise to march into the toxic eastern wastelands and butcher Marcus in the dirt was a thrilling, violent vow that resonated within me. Yet, beneath the surging heat of his possessive mark, a profound, hollow ache began to throb deep within my chest. It was not a longing for the cowardly Alpha who had discarded me. It was a sudden, suffocating grief for the life I was about to leave behind forever.
I pulled the thick, fur-lined cloak tighter around my naked shoulders, my bare feet sinking into the plush rugs covering the frozen earth. Terracotta Village was empty. The people I had healed, the children I h
