The morning light filtered softly through the lace curtains of the Luna’s quarters, painting golden ribbons across the polished wood floors. The air smelled faintly of summer rain and pine, clean, sharp, and alive.
Crystal stood at the window, her hand resting gently on her stomach. Her pregnancy was nearing its final weeks, and though her belly had grown round and full, she still moved with quiet grace.
Dustin had been gone since dawn, overseeing patrol rotations. The rogues had been silent for months, but silence didn’t mean safety, not anymore.
The pups kicked softly beneath her palm, a flutter that made her smile even as unease twisted in her chest.
Something in the air felt wrong.
Not the wrong that came before a storm, that kind of energy was natural, electric and brief. This wa
