By the time the sun slid behind the ridge, the cold had teeth.
Aria spent the afternoon doing nothing that counted as work and everything that counted as existing: walking the loop again, hovering near the training ring long enough to watch a few drills, helping Lena carry in wood when the other woman shoved an extra armload at her with a casual, “You’ve got hands, use them.”
No обязанностей, как Rowan и обещал. Но оставаться бесполезной она тоже не умела.
When the first stars pricked through the darkening sky, someone lit the big bonfire in the center of the clearing. A flare of orange, a rush of sparks, and suddenly wolves emerged from doorways in twos and threes, drawn to the heat like always.
Lena bumped Aria’s shoulder with her own as she passed. “We do food outside when the weath
