At first, the day had been tense. The sky was heavy and full of storms, but there was no rain. I had spent the entire morning working at the drill with the warriors, and every time the brass and iron collided, the fire in my blood was rekindled but never put out.

After thirty minutes of sparring with Cassian, Maya rushed up to me. She only gave me that look when there was conflict around our boundaries.

"Alpha," she yelled, her voice firm despite the intensity in her gaze. "A rider comes ...