THE DIVIDING LINE
The first envoy arrived before sunrise.
They did not cross the valley border.
They did not need to.
Their scent carried on the wind long before their silhouettes appeared along the eastern ridge.
Elara felt it from the courtyard.
Foreign wolves.
Not hostile.
But cautious.
She stood still, letting the sensation settle in her chest.
“They’ve been circling since midnight,” Kael said beside her.
She nodded faintly.
“Which pack?”
“Greyfen.”
Her jaw tightened slightly.
Greyfen had always been diplomatic. Strategic. Observant.
They did not send envoys lightly.
The c***k along the northern ridge had not widened again—but the pale light within it pulsed at irregular intervals. Subtle. Almost unnoticeable.
Almost.
Word traveled faster than stone split.
By the ti
