New Day
240 Words
Dawn crept slowly over the forest.
The battlefield outside the village had finally gone quiet. Broken carts, claw marks in the dirt, and splintered wood were all that remained of the fight.
The wolves loyal to Vargan were gone.
For now.
A small camp had been set up just beyond the village where the forest opened into a clearing. A fire crackled in the center while the surviving wolves from Lyra, Torren, and Darius’s packs kept watch along the tree line.
Everyone knew Vargan could return at any time.
But for the moment… there was peace.
Aria sat on a fallen log near the fire, staring into the flames.
Her body felt heavy, drained after the power she had unleashed during the battle. Every muscle ached.
Kael knelt beside her, carefully wrapping a strip of cloth around a shallow cut on her arm.
“You need to rest,” he said quietly.
Aria watched the fire.
“I’m fine.”
Kael raised an eyebrow.
“You collapsed ten minutes ago.”
“That was strategic collapsing.”
He smirked.
“Right.”
Across the clearing, Torren sat on a large rock eating something that looked suspiciously like half a roasted deer leg.
Lyra paced nearby, clearly deep in thought.
Darius sat calmly beside the fire, sharpening a long blade with slow, deliberate strokes.
The three alphas had been discussing strategy for the last hour.
None of them looked particularly happy.
- Writer
