The messenger nearly fell from his horse reaching the northern stronghold, riding through the night without rest.
He was dragged before Alpha Damon Lustblood within minutes of arriving, breathless, dust still clinging to his coat as he delivered Adrian's words exactly as instructed. Damon sat in his private chamber, a fire burning low behind him, and listened without interrupting until the messenger finished.
"Say it again," Damon said quietly. "Exactly as my son spoke it."
"The boy from Ashwood is alive," the messenger repeated.
Damon rose slowly from his chair, his expression unreadable, and crossed to the window overlooking the dark territory beyond his walls. He said nothing for a long moment, long enough that the messenger shifted uncomfortably, uncertain whether he was meant to r
