Morning came without warmth.
The sky above the pack lands was heavy with clouds, thick and unmoving, as though the world itself was holding its breath. Glosh stood near the tall windows of the pack house, watching the mist curl lazily between the trees. Wolves moved below—guards, warriors, servants—but every movement felt slower, more cautious than usual.
They were watching her.
Even when they pretended not to.
She felt it everywhere now. The subtle shift in how heads dipped when she passed. The hesitation before someone spoke her name. The way conversations died the moment she stepped into a room.
She wrapped her arms around herself, fighting the familiar urge to shrink.
Don’t.
She had done enough of that in her life.
A knock came at the door, sharp and deliberate.
“Enter,” she s
