Caelan POV:
The land settles after they leave.
It always does, that faint recalibration of territory once outsiders pass beyond its reach, but this time the quiet feels altered, as though something has been placed carefully rather than taken away. I remain where I am for several long moments, gaze fixed on the path Elara and Rowan took, awareness stretched just far enough to ensure their exit remains uninterrupted.
Only when the bond eases — not gone, merely distant — do I turn back toward my pack.
Vaelor stirs beneath my skin, not restless, not agitated, but attentive in a way that speaks of significance rather than threat.
“She does not bend,” my wolf notes, low and certain. “Not to strength. Not to fear.”
“No,” I agree silently. “And that changes everything.”
I move through the p
