Elara's POV
---
The morning after the battle, the village was silent.
Not the silence of mourning. The silence of exhaustion. Wolves lay scattered across the clearing, their bodies battered, their eyes hollow. The shadow had retreated, but it had left its mark. Deep gashes in the earth. Blackened trees. A sense that something vital had been drained from the land.
I walked among them, Selene in my arms, offering comfort where I could. Dorian was beside me, his hand never leaving my shoulder. Lyra trotted behind us, her silver-tipped fur dulled with ash.
"We need to rebuild," I said.
"We will." Dorian's voice was steady. "We always do."
---
Gretchen's cabin was overcrowded with wounded.
She moved among them with practiced efficiency, her hands steady despite her age. When she saw me
