Mary Ann’s POV
By sunrise, Nightveil no longer looked like a ruined kingdom.
It looked alive.
Thousands of people filled the rebuilt square surrounding the restored council hall. Some had travelled for days from neutral territories, distant packs, and settlements where Nightveil families had lived under different names for decades. Old family banners hung beside the newer symbols of the elected districts, while workers had decorated the stone arches with silver ribbons and dark-blue wildflowers.
There were no throne banners.
I had ordered those removed.
Today was supposed to mark the reopening of Nightveil, not the return of the system that had destroyed it.
I stood inside the preparation chamber while Lydia’s replacement fastened the final clasp at my shoulder. We had kept Lydia un
