The air was thick with the hum of summer. Wildflowers speckled the edges of the clearing, bees droning lazily from bloom to bloom, and the distant sound of laughter rolled from the training field like the echo of something that used to be normal.
It had been months since the last rogue attack. Months since the Bloodstone Pack had seen blood in the soil. The scent of fear had finally faded from the air, replaced by sun-warmed grass, the sweet tang of river water, and the faint musk of pups rolling through the dust.
For the first time in a long time, peace had a scent.
Crystal stood at the field’s edge, her hand resting lightly on the swell of her stomach. The child within her stirred, a gentle reminder that life had chosen to continue despite the shadows that had once hung over them. She
