THE FRACTURE BREAKS
The unease began as something small.
Not sharp enough to name.
Not heavy enough to demand attention.
Just a subtle misalignment in the rhythm of the day.
Elara felt it before she understood it.
Nightfall’s inner grounds were rarely chaotic. Even in tension, there was order patrol routes predictable, sentries rotating with disciplined precision. The air usually carried the steady pulse of pack life.
Today, something stuttered.
She paused near the eastern ceremonial path, gaze sweeping across the open stretch of stone and grass that led toward the older forest line. Two sentries stood near the archway.
There should have been four.
Her brow furrowed.
“Shift rotation,” Lyra said smoothly from beside her, as if she’d been anticipating the question. “Kael doubled t
