(Ava’s POV)
The Ravenwood marketplace looked different than I remembered—brighter, louder, fuller. The cobbled street once worn by my bare feet as an omega now glistened under lantern light and trade stalls. Laughter drifted between merchants, clinking coins, the occasional bark of guards in fresh uniforms. The place pulsed with new life, as if my exile had only cleared space for their prosperity.
I tugged my hood lower, adjusting the satchel slung across my shoulder. My scent was masked under the sharp tang of mountain sage and ironwood oil—Dominic’s concoction. It burned faintly in my nose, disguising the wolf beneath my skin.
We had come as traders—just another pair of wanderers hoping to sell herbs and trinkets. Logan had forged the permits. Dominic had handled the introductions. An
