Weeks unfolded into gentle autumn days, soft and golden. The heavy, watchful silence that had draped the stronghold for months slowly melted away, replaced once more by the familiar rhythms of life: laughter drifting across courtyards, the ring of steel from training grounds, children chasing each other beneath turning leaves. Yet peace, I learned, was not merely the absence of war. It was something fragile—something that had to be tended daily, watered with patience, and guarded with care.
Selene remained confined in the deepest cells, stripped of rank, magic, and all former honors. The Council would deliberate long before passing judgment, but already the pack knew the truth. Her name had become a warning—a lesson on how far envy and ambition could drag a soul. Few spoke of her now, sav
