The smoke had cleared.

The battle was won.

But victory never came without its price.

The bond was whole. The forest breathed again. But the ground was littered with the fallen wolves who had given everything for this moment.

Lyla stood in the heart of it all, her body aching, her mind heavy.

She should have felt relief.

Instead, she felt the weight of what came next.

Because the war was over

But the rebuilding had just begun.

The Bloodmarked moved in silence.

No ...