Elara’s pov
The silence after the howl did not fade the way ordinary sounds did. It lingered, suspended over the courtyard like a living thing that had not yet decided whether to retreat. Snow drifted slowly from the pale sky, landing on steel blades and bare shoulders, yet no one moved to brush it away. Every warrior stood with their head slightly angled toward the forest beyond the fortress walls.
This was not fear.
It was recognition.
Kael moved first.
He did not rush. He did not bark orders. He simply turned toward the treeline, shoulders squared, posture controlled, as though measuring distance against memory. Even from above, I could see the tension threading through him, not panic, but readiness. The kind that comes from knowing something will eventually test you.
When his gaz
