The storm had not yet passed.
Even after the last Council guard fell, the cliffs vibrated with the echoes of what Aurelia had unleashed. The runes on her skin still glowed faintly, like embers that refused to die. Smoke drifted from the shattered carriage. Wolves circled the ruin in tense, confused silence.
But all Aurelia saw were the children.
Dozens of them, eyes wide with fear, limbs bound in chains etched with blood magic older than the packs themselves. Some were too weak to stand. Others stared at her with reverence, as if she were something more than flesh and bone.
Kane approached the closest cage and broke the lock with one sharp twist. “Help the small ones first,” he commanded the wolves. “Bring blankets. Food.”
His voice was calm, but the rage beneath it trembled through t
