POV: Araya
Jasper's howl fades into silence. The Alpha kneels in the snow, broken and defeated. His warriors stand frozen, uncertain what to do now that their leader has collapsed.
Araya looks at him. At the man who destroyed her and now grieves what he's lost.
She feels nothing.
No pity. No satisfaction. Just cold emptiness where love used to live.
"Stand up," Araya commands.
Jasper doesn't move immediately. His body trembles violently, power flickering weakly around him like a dying flame.
"I said stand," Araya repeats. Her voice carries Alpha authority that makes every wolf in the clearing flinch.
Slowly, painfully, Jasper pushes himself to his feet. His storm-gray eyes are hollow. Defeated.
"You came here with an army," Araya says. Her voice is calm, measured. "You marched int
