The ridge no longer echoed with battle cries or prophecy-laced whispers. The silence felt unnerving, like the world was holding itself too still, afraid to breathe in case something ancient cracked open again. Wolves clustered in groups, not in ranks. They spoke quietly, some arguing, some laughing in disbelief, some staring at the sky as if waiting for the remnants of the moon to reappear.
But nothing returned.
No glow.
No pull.
No destiny humming beneath their skin.
Just choice, raw and terrifying.
Ronan walked beside me through the courtyard, his presence familiar and grounding. The storm in his aura had calmed, though not entirely. Some part of him still braced for the world to snap back into the shape he had always known. He had been raised inside rules. Now he stood beside some
