Spring arrived with an explosion of colour across both territories. Cherry blossoms from Crescent Ridge mixed with the wild roses of Shadowpine, creating a landscape that seemed designed specifically for Celeste and Kai's mating ceremony.
"It's too much," Celeste said for the hundredth time, surveying the preparations. "We don't need flowers from every Federation territory. We don't need a guest list of three thousand wolves. We don't need ice sculptures."
"The ice sculptures were your father's idea," I said, adjusting the sample centrepiece on the table before us. "He thinks they're elegant."
"They're going to melt. It's spring."
"He's aware. He says it's symbolic. Love persists even as external things change." I smiled at her exasperation. "Also, he really likes ice sculptures."
"Th
