**SIX MONTHS LATER**
The packhouse, once bustling with constant activity and training, now felt quiet in a way that was both peaceful and strange. The halls smelled faintly of pine and old wood, mixed with the aroma of meals that someone had cooked, though mostly we did our own cooking now.
Eryx, Kaelen, and Kaelric had returned to where Lupa had been living. They called to check in but they were putting their home back together again.
Dennis and Petra had gone traveling, leaving the pack in Asher’s and my hands. They had entrusted everything to us. The pack, the territory, the boundaries. But they had also left a note of encouragement: live, breathe, and take the time to find peace.
Even Gage and Arlo had decided to step away for a while. They wanted to travel, to see other lands, an
