POV: Elara
The howl came just before dawn, sharp and piercing as it sliced through the stillness of the camp. I was already awake, staring at the ceiling of the Alpha’s house, the weight of the coming battle pressing down on me like a physical force. At the sound, I bolted upright, my heart racing.
Silas was here.
I threw open the door to see the camp stirring into action. Wolves scrambled from their dens, their movements quick and practiced despite the urgency in the air. The younger ones looked to the elders, their fear masked by a determination we had worked so hard to instill.
Osric was already at the central clearing, barking orders. He saw me and crossed the distance quickly, his expression grim but focused.
“Scouts spotted Silas’s wolves on the eastern border,” he said. “They’r
