The elder grove had never looked like this before. Lanterns swung from the high pines like constellations tangled in branches, their light soft as breath on snow. Bloodhowl crimson and Darkspire gray braided together, strips wound across the ancient stones where vows had been spoken for centuries. Wolves filled the clearing shoulder to shoulder, but for the first time in my life, there wasn’t suspicion pressing against my skin. Only anticipation. The air smelled of pine resin, woodsmoke, and spice. Frost glittered on every stone, every branch, until it felt like we were standing inside the ribs of winter itself, and yet I was warm. Amy stood at my left, radiant in her gown. Her dress was everything a fairy tale would have promised her: long-sleeved ivory satin, the skirt full and sweeping,
