Three weeks.
That's how long we waited after Viktor fled into the night.
Three weeks of tension, of watching the horizon, of jumping at every shadow. Three weeks of Kael pacing the fortress like a caged wolf, of Caspian growing more still and silent with each passing day, of me trying to hold us together while the weight of uncertainty pressed down on all of us.
And then, on the twenty-first day, Mira returned.
She came alone, walking out of the forest at dawn with her hands raised in peace. I met her at the gates, Kael and Caspian flanking me as always.
"You came back," I said.
"I promised I would." Mira's eyes were clear, steady. "I brought news. Good news, I think."
"Tell us."
She took a breath. "I spoke to twelve packs. Twelve. Wolves who'd followed Seraphine for generations, w
