(Ava’s POV)
The air in Shadow Claw felt thicker since we returned from Stormveil—heavier, watchful. Like the whole faction was holding its breath.
I felt it in every sideways glance, every sentence that stopped short when I walked into a room. I wasn’t just the girl Dominic had once saved anymore, nor the “supposedly dead Luna.” No, now I was something else. Something threatening. And I didn’t know if that was good or dangerous.
But I didn’t flinch.
Instead, I used the silence to move.
I started small. Quiet conversations with a few of the younger warriors—scouts, guards, a few rogues from the last border camp rotation. Those who hadn’t yet pledged themselves fully to Logan’s leadership, who didn’t walk around carrying the weight of the old ways like a badge.
I watched who trained ha
