Morning arrived with a soft golden haze, the sunlight pouring through the windows and casting a warm glow over the packhouse. The air smelled faintly of breakfast. Eggs, toasted bread, and brewed coffee. Everything felt calm, almost too calm, given the previous night’s events.
I made my way to the training field first, the smell of dew-covered grass filling my lungs. The massive wolf was still in the pen, but something had shifted. Its chest rose and fell in deeper, more even breaths, and its head lifted slightly, ears twitching. It was awake.
Asher joined me silently, his eyes never leaving the creature. “It’s awake.” He said quietly, almost more to himself than to me.
“Yeah.” I said, squatting down to get a better look. “It seems… calm. Maybe more aware, but still… I don’t know.”
“Yo
