Elijah’s POV
I woke before the first light of dawn, fingers twisting at the edges of my cot’s blanket. The camp was still, silent but for the distant calls of night birds and the soft shuffle of wolves in their dens. My heart thumped in my chest, a slow drumbeat of worry. Leila was out there somewhere, free from Sebastian’s hold at last, but her journey back to us was far from over. Meanwhile, the war with Sebastian’s forces loomed ever closer. My role was clear: I had to guard not only our packsmen and warriors, but the truth itself, an unseen, fragile treasure.
I slipped from the cot and wrapped a cloak around my shoulders before slipping out of the small tent I shared with Henry. He lay curled on his side, breathing evenly, already lost to sleep. I paused at the flap, a flash of memor
