“What Comes After”
(Primarily Caleb’s POV, with transitions into Rowan’s)
Spring had fully arrived in the valley. The last remnants of snow had melted from the high cliffs, and wildflowers bloomed in golden bursts along the riverbanks. The forest pulsed with the low hum of life—new pups chasing each other between trees, elders resting in patches of warm sunlight, warriors training not for war but for readiness.
There was no crisis.
No battle.
No summons that tore Caleb from sleep in the middle of the night.
And for the first time in moons, he didn’t wake with dread curled in his chest.
Instead, he woke to the steady beat of Rowan’s heart against his back, an arm slung around his waist, their breathing synchronized.
This, Caleb thought, letting his eyes drift closed again, is what p
