The day began with a soft kind of energy that stayed with me from the moment I opened my eyes. Sunlight came through the tall windows in slow lines, touching the walls and floor like careful hands. I lay still for a long time, listening to the quiet sounds of the estate waking up around me. There were footsteps in the hall, low voices, the distant sound of doors opening and closing. The pack was moving into the day together, and instead of feeling like an outsider watching from the edge, I felt woven into it. Damien slept beside me, his breathing deep and even, his face calm in a way that always surprised me. I watched him and felt a deep sense of peace settle in my chest, the kind that does not rush or fade, the kind that stays.
When Damien woke, he did not move right away. He opened his
