"Same," I whisper.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, I actually believe we might make it through.
The siege of Ironwood begins at dawn.
We don't storm the walls.
Don't charge their gates with warriors howling for blood.
Instead, we do something more insidious: we surround them.
Five hundred wolves, arranged in a careful perimeter around Ironwood's territory.
Not close enough to engage, but close enough to be seen.
A constant, visible reminder that they're trapped.
I stand on a ridge overlooking their main settlement, Kael beside me, watching as the sun rises over what will likely be a long, grinding conflict.
"They're organizing a response," Martin reports through the mind-link.
"Warriors on the walls, scouts trying to find weak points in our perimeter."
"L
