**Gaia’s POV**

Seven months had passed in a blur of anticipation and quiet joy since Gina’s excited declaration in Volcano Valley. The moon apples’ success had blossomed into stronger alliances, but my world had narrowed to the life growing within me. Rose-White Mountain Pack thrived under our reforms—integrated training fields echoed with laughter, trade routes bustled, and the merged cultures wove a richer tapestry. Astrein was my constant shadow, his golden protectiveness ...