POV: Araya
Ten years pass.
Araya stands on the same mountain peak where she was crowned, looking out over her territory. The Direwilds have flourished beyond anything she imagined that day.
Villages dot the landscape below. Wolves from different bloodlines live together in peace. Children play without fear of being attacked for their heritage.
It's not perfect. Peace never is. But it's real.
Footsteps crunch in the snow behind her. Araya doesn't turn. She knows who it is without looking.
Ronan joins her at the edge, his presence as comforting now as it was a decade ago. His hair is more gray than black now, age showing in the lines around his eyes and the slight stoop of his shoulders.
But his golden eyes remain fierce. His strength undiminished.
"Lucian is asking for you," Ronan s
