(Aria’s POV)
The night smelled of blood and smoke. The ground was churned with dirt and crimson where wolves had fallen, and the cries of the wounded carried into the trees like a haunting dirge. I could still hear the echo of Kaelen’s growl in my head, the way his voice had commanded not just me, but the battlefield itself.
The rogues had been driven back—at least for now. But peace hadn’t returned. The air buzzed with unrest, with fear, with questions whispered and never answered.
I sat near the long hall, clutching my cloak tighter, watching as healers tended to the injured. My parents were safe. Elias kept pacing like a guard dog, refusing to sit. But Kaelen… Kaelen stood tall in the middle of the clearing, flanked by Lyra, Kael, and Varric. He looked like he hadn’t taken a single b
