I slipped out of bed before sunrise, careful not to disturb Christian. He was still out, his face peaceful in sleep—something I hadn't seen much of lately. The dark circles under his eyes told me everything I needed to know about the weight he was carrying.
The bond between us hummed with his exhaustion even in unconsciousness. I felt him stir slightly as I left, his wolf protesting the separation, but he didn't wake.
The training grounds were already alive with activity when I got there. The female warrior program had grown exponentially over the past few months, and watching them move through combat drills made something fierce bloom in my chest. These were girls—young women—who would have been told five years ago that they didn't belong here.
Elena was in the middle of the gr
