Peace lasted exactly one week.
Seven days of quiet contentment. Seven days of training, of building, of *living*. Seven days of watching the hybrids grow stronger, the wolves and vampires grow closer, the camp grow more beautiful.
Lena had begun to believe that maybe—just maybe—the worst was behind them.
She walked through the settlement each morning, greeting people by name, watching children play in the new gardens, marveling at how far they'd come. The cabins stood sturdy and warm. The communal hall echoed with laughter every evening. The training grounds hummed with purposeful activity from dawn until dusk.
"We're really doing this," Mira said, falling into step beside her. "We're really building something permanent."
"We are." Lena smiled. "And it's only the beginning."
That was
