Chapter 156

Viona's POV

The fortress had not slept since the news broke.

Every hall echoed with footsteps, the clang of armor, the sharpening of steel. Healers carried baskets of herbs and poultices into makeshift infirmaries. Mothers pressed children into safe chambers, whispering promises they could not guarantee. The air itself seemed alive with tension, thick enough to choke.

But above all, there was the sound of preparation-wolves readying for the fight of their lives.

I stood in the ...