The Unbroken Circle did not dissipate with the end of the gathering. It lingered in the air, a tangible force of unity that transformed the Keep. The usual undercurrents of gossip and political maneuvering vanished, replaced by a focused, humming energy. Warriors drilled with a new, grim precision. Mothers organized supplies with quiet efficiency. Even the pups seemed to understand the gravity of the moment, their play more subdued, their eyes older.
The pack was a coiled spring, waiting.
I spent the day moving among them, my presence no longer a thing of awe or fear, but a part of the whole. I felt their confidence, their trust, their shared resolve feeding my own power, making the silver light within me burn with a steady, calm intensity. It was no longer just my power; it was ours.
A
