(Daciana POV)
Bardolph’s Alpha ring lay on the stone between us like a small black moon pulled from a dead sky.
Every wolf stared at it.
Every elder hated it.
Every part of me wanted not to feel anything.
But I did.
Not forgiveness.
Not trust.
Not love returning like some foolish flower after fire.
Something harder.
Something quieter.
The terrible weight of a man finally cutting his own pride where everyone could watch it bleed.
I looked at the ring, then at Bardolph, and saw no performance in his face.
That frightened me more than his old rage.
Rage had been easy to answer.
This was harder.
This asked for nothing and somehow still placed a question in my hands.
Conri stepped closer, his face unreadable, though grief for Gonzalo still darkened the edges of his eyes.
“He m
