The night stretched endlessly, the weight of Kael’s warning coiled tight in Ariana’s chest. Sleep refused her, every shadow a reminder of Lucien’s words and Kael’s fire. By dawn, her body ached with exhaustion, but her resolve had only sharpened. If her mother’s fate was bound to the truth of her powers, she had to find it. She couldn’t let Kael’s fear cage her anymore.
By midday, the entire pack had gathered in the courtyard. The air was charged with tension, the murmurs of wolves and humans alike mixing with the clang of steel. Kael had called them together—another display of authority as war preparations thickened. From her place at the edge of the gathering, Ariana felt like a ghost watching lives churn forward while hers twisted in knots.
Kael stood at the center, tall and commandin
