POV: Mason
The palace had not fully settled after the breach.
You can always tell when the world has been touched by something ancient. The air feels wrong—like it’s holding its breath. Every wolf in the territory felt it. The guards were restless. The wards whispered instead of hummed. Even the trees along the outer wall bent inward like they were listening for footsteps that weren’t there.
And Damieon?
He slept peacefully in Riley’s arms.
That terrified me more than the veil tearing open ever could.
I doubled the perimeter myself.
No delegating. No trusting numbers. I needed eyes on every shadow, ears on every shift of air. Because whatever spoke through that tear had not come to greet us.
It had come to measure.
The moon was low and red when the first alarm rune shattered.
Not
