Aria’s POV…..

The sun rose slowly over the mountains, spilling gold across the courtyard stones. For the first time in what felt like months, the pack grounds were quiet—not from fear, not from exhaustion, but from a strange, tender peace. Since Kaelen and I had returned from the ritual chamber, the entire pack had been watching us with wide eyes, unsure, hopeful, terrified to hope too much.

I could feel them gathering outside the hall before we even stepped inside—our wolves, ...