The safe house transformed into organized chaos as everyone prepared to evacuate. Wounded were carefully moved onto makeshift stretchers, supplies packed into weatherproof bags, escape routes memorized. Outside, the rain had intensified, water flowing in small rivulets down the stone walls—nature providing cover for their retreat.
In the central room, Kova worked with solemn purpose, moving from one injured Otherkind to the next under Akira's watchful eye. The young direwolf's method was simple but effective—he would sniff a wound carefully, sometimes pawing gently at bandages until they were removed, then apply his healing saliva with methodical licks. The recipients' expressions typically shifted from skepticism to amazement as pain visibly receded and tissues began knitting together at
