Rhea
The fortress had not been quiet since the Blood Trial.
Everywhere Rhea walked, wolves shifted out of her path, eyes sliding away too quickly, or lingering too long, filled suspicion and fear.
Children were pulled back by their mothers.
A few bolder wolves sniffed the air as she passed, as if scent alone could explain what the circle had shown.
None dared speak directly to her, but their eyes told the truth… they wanted her gone, one way or another.
“Silver blood…”
“Not natural…”
“She cursed the circle…”
“She would curse the pack…”
She ignored them the way she had always ignored whispers.
The memory of the glowing carvings clung to her mind, the way the light had risen from her blood.
She sat in the courtyard now, hands folded in her lap, watching the fountain in the cent
