The early dawn light found me walking through the courtyard, breathing in the crisp air. Around me, Ashen Hollow refugees—fifteen of them—moved through training drills and daily routines as part of our unified pack. Their steps were cautious at first, but I watched hopeful sparks flare as they saw themselves treated as equals.
I carried the weight of both Alpha and Luna heavy in my bones. Each title demanded different things: authority and compassion, might and understanding. I was learning that being two things meant I had to be everything for everyone.
A healer approached, voice low. “Three of Axel’s wolves were attacked last night. Wounded, not killed—but it happened near the boundary.”
I thanked her and walked toward the fallen guard station. The bodies of two wolves lay beneath the
