The morning light filtered through the window of our lodge, soft and golden, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. I lay still for a moment, listening to the rhythm of Dorian's breathing, the distant sounds of the village waking, the birds beginning their morning chorus.
It had been three years since the last c***k was sealed. Three years of peace, of growth, of watching our daughters become something extraordinary. The pack had flourished. The borders were secure. The darkness remained bound.
And yet, I felt something stirring in my chest. A restlessness I couldn't name.
I slipped out of bed and walked to the window.
The moon was still visible, a pale crescent against the blue sky. Its song was faint but present, a constant hum at the edge of my awareness. I touched my pendant, i
