Henry’s Pov
I woke before dawn, as I often did, but this morning the air was colder than usual. The sky was still dark, the stars pale and distant. I sat on the edge of my bed, listening to the hush that filled my chambers. Somewhere in that stillness I heard a faint ache of unease, an echo of something wrong that I couldn’t yet name. I rose and dressed quickly, heart thumping low in my chest. I strode through the deserted courtyard, the morning air cold against my skin, my breath steaming in front of me. My boots crunched on the frost-kissed gravel, and I gazed up at the high stone walls, towers standing sentinel over our home. It should have felt reassuring, familiar. Yet I sensed a hollow emptiness, as though our pack had somehow shrunk overnight.
I turned toward the great hall, its d
