Dawn crept over Bloodstone territory in sweeping strokes of rose and silver, brushing the treetops with quiet brilliance. The packhouse courtyard was already alive—warriors stretching, patrol shifts exchanging, the scent of fresh dew hanging cool in the air. A sense of hushed anticipation rippled beneath the surface, not chaotic like pre-war tension, but sharpened… focused.
Today was Aeron Samson Hale’s first day of Alpha training.
And everyone knew it.
Aeron stood at the edge of the courtyard, broad-shouldered and already nearly eye-level with his father. His dark hair ruffled in the early breeze as he watched the warriors shift into their drills. At only eighteen, he radiated the steady confidence of someone born to lead—but a flicker of nerves tightened in his chest.
Solstice help m
