Selene’s POV
The fortress woke restless that morning.
Rumors drifted like cold air through the corridors—doors opening too softly, footsteps echoing too long. Servants whispered of a command, a border summons, a forced departure.
When I stepped out of my chambers, I didn’t need confirmation. The air itself told me what I already knew.
Kael was leaving.
I found Eryndor waiting near the hearth, his hood drawn low. He didn’t speak at first, and he didn’t need to.
“So it’s true,” I said quietly. “Malrik is sending him away.”
He inclined his head. “The old Alpha calls it a mission. But everyone knows what it is—exile dressed in orders.”
“Does Kael know?”
Eryndor’s eyes flickered with something like pity. “He’s never been blind to his father’s traps. He’ll go anyway.”
I crossed to the
