Caelan POV:
The pack doesn’t need to be told the night is at a close.
They feel it, the way the air settles after tension, after celebration, after something important has been set in place. Fires are banked lower, voices soften. Wolves drift away in twos and threes, offering nods, quiet smiles, gentle touches of respect as they pass. I return each one in kind.
“Get some rest,” I say to a group near the path.
“Tomorrow starts early,” I tell another.
They grin, knowing exactly what tomorrow brings — consequences, strategy, council games. But not tonight.
Tonight is still ours.
Elara stays close at my side, fingers brushing mine as we move through the courtyard. She thanks people softly and genuinely, not as Luna, not as someone elevated, but as herself. That’s what they respond to. T
