Three days after the battle, we gathered to honor our dead.
Seventeen pyres.
Seventeen lives lost to Aldric's betrayal and ambition.
Marcus's pyre stood at the center.
The largest.
Not because he was more important than the others—every life was precious.
But because he was Beta. Because his sacrifice had saved us all.
I stood before it, with Alaric bundled peacefully against my chest in his wrap.
Three days old.
A relentless three days of vigilance, scanning every shadow for lurking threats.
Just three days, and sleep had become a distant memory.
"He would have loved to meet him," Erica said softly beside me.
My daughter had been quieter since Marcus's death.
More withdrawn.
They'd been close—he'd been training her, teaching her to be a warrior.
Now that the teacher w
