Kora’s POV
Peace, I was learning, could be its own kind of battlefield.
A week had passed since the summoning, and though the pack had begun to settle back into its rhythm, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something unseen still lingered. The nightmares had stopped, the whispers had faded, and the light that used to flicker uncontrollably beneath my skin was now calm — but I knew better than to mistake stillness for safety.
That morning, I was in the garden, kneeling in the soil, when the scent of pine and rain reached me — Edward. He always carried that smell, clean and grounding, like the forest after a storm.
“Should I be worried that my Luna prefers dirt to luxury?” he teased as he walked up behind me.
I smiled without turning around. “You’d be surprised how calming it is. The ea
