**Ravyn**
The morning air was crisp with the promise of change as Ravyn watched the final groups of families preparing to leave the Northern Pack territory. Children laughed and played in the yard while their parents loaded vehicles with belongings, but underneath the cheerful activity was an undercurrent of tension that everyone could feel.
“The Coastal Pack families are ready to depart,” Alpha Blackwood reported, joining her on the porch of the main lodge. “Luna Stern’s people will escort them home.”
Ravyn nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the children. A little girl from the River Valley Pack was teaching Northern Pack cubs a clapping game, their voices rising in perfect harmony. The sight made her chest tight with protective instinct.
“Wait,” she said suddenly. “The children s
