We do not leave at sunrise.
We leave before it.
The compound still sleeps when the convoy rolls north.
No banners.
No announcement.
No pack-wide declaration.
Just quiet movement.
Kade drives.
Kieran rides beside him.
Morgan monitors field readings from the back.
I sit still, hand resting over my stomach.
The baby is calm.
But not indifferent.
North pulls softly now.
Not like a hook.
More like recognition.
The farther we drive, the deeper the air feels.
Less volatile.
More ancient.
The land changes gradually.
Trees grow denser.
Rocks darken.
The air smells older.
We cross into territory long abandoned after Northfall.
The ground hums faintly beneath the tires.
“This is where the original split occurred,” Morgan murmurs.
“No,” I say quietly.
“This is where the visi
