(Isla)
The pack house was lit when we came up the rise.
Pack members had come out along the path, not summoned, just there the way the Wraithbone pack was always just there when something was happening. I kept my eyes forward as we rode toward the steps.
The first heads lowered before we reached the halfway point. Then more. Moving through the pack the way it always moved now, without command, without hesitation. Vaela stirred inside me and I let her.
We reached the steps and I dismounted.
Caius was beside me when my feet hit the ground. He didn't say anything. Neither did I. We walked up the steps together and through the doors and the warmth of the pack house came out to meet us.
Dena appeared from the kitchen corridor. She stopped when she saw me.
"Welcome back," she said.
"Than
