Sleep came like a storm.
The moment Kaelira closed her eyes, the palace disappeared.
She stood on the edge of a cliff beneath a sky where no stars shone.
Only a black moon hung above the world.
A cold wind swept around her.
Then…
She stepped forward.
Instead of falling…
She flew.
The wind wrapped around her as though it recognized her. Mountains passed beneath her in a blur, rivers shimmered like silver ribbons, and ancient forests bent as she soared overhead.
She wasn’t afraid.
She wasn’t surprised.
She felt…
Home.
Below her, thousands of wolves gathered across a vast valley.
One after another, they lifted their heads.
Then they knelt.
Not to a queen.
To something far older.
Someone whispered behind her.
“You were never meant to walk.”
“You were born to rule the skies
