The camp was quieter today. The echo of drums and laughter had faded into the memory of yesterday’s celebration, leaving behind only the faint scent of wildflowers and overturned cider in the grass. Hollow Mountain, usually a stronghold of murmured strategies and footfalls, had softened. Birds called through the trees. Wind curled gently around the stone outcrops. Somewhere far off, a pup howled at nothing.
Celeste walked through the healer's tent with measured steps, her hands clasped behind her back as she nodded to each resting form. Bandages and splints marked the aftermath of too many recent battles, and though no lives had been lost in the last attack, plenty had been frayed.
"Alpha," murmured a young wolf, lifting his head. His arm was bound in a sling, eyes dull with fatigue but
