The heat of midsummer rolled lazily across Bloodstone territory, carrying with it the scent of wildflowers, pine sap, and distant river mist. The worst of the rogue threats had quieted, and for the first time in many moons, the pack lands breathed easy again. Patrols still circled the borders, but their steps were lighter now — no longer shadowed by constant dread.
In the heart of the packhouse, life pulsed with gentle anticipation.
Crystal stood in the open courtyard, sunlight catching in her hair as she leaned back against the garden railing. Her belly was round, heavy, and beautiful — the unmistakable sign that her pup was nearly ready to enter the world. Bree was calm within her, her energy woven protectively around the child like a silken cocoon of moonlight.
“You shouldn’t be on y
