Chapter 17: The Victory and the Wounds
The Moonwood Manor smelled of sweat, woodsmoke, and the metallic tang of drying blood. The healers' wing was full, but the atmosphere was electric with victory. The war was won.
Alpha Elias Knight, covered in mud and the distinct scent of frozen bog water, burst into the manor. He didn't stop to address the council or his weary troops. He followed the Mate bond a desperate, aching thread straight to the Healer's wing.
He found Lyra on a cot, her face pale beneath the grime, her left shoulder heavily bandaged and raised. Thomas, the Healer, was gently setting the bone, the process agonizingly slow due to the severity of the blow.
"Alpha!" Thomas started in surprise.
Elias waved the Healer aside, his eyes locked solely on Lyra. He was covered in sc
