I'm
Benjamin Reed
A month had passed since the cage fell and the golden light swallowed the hall whole.
The Blackmist pack was safe now—truly safe. The obsidian safe lay in ruins, its power scattered like ash on the wind. The spell was broken. The wolves who had stood glassy-eyed in rows were breathing freely again, laughing again, running under the moon again.
Territory borders held strong. Patrols moved with purpose. The pack house smelled of cedar smoke and fresh bread instead of blood and fear.
Everything should have felt right.
Except Olivia. She moved through the days like someone reading from a script she’d memorized but no longer believed. She greeted pack members with the same warm smile she’d always given. She settled disputes in the common room with quiet authority.
