"Some survived," Maera said quietly. "Some didn't. Some…" She exhaled. "Some didn't even get to scream before their lungs burned from the inside."
The world tilted slightly beneath my feet.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt ashamed of breathing.
Ashamed of walking through this place as if I hadn't benefited from the time Darius bought himself on the backs of the forgotten. As if my silence hadn't made it easier.
I looked to Maera, trying to speak—but no words came.
She shook her head gently. "You can't fix what's been done, Alpha of Obsidian. But you can see it. That's the first step. This is their sanctuary." Her voice softened, a tremor sneaking beneath the calm.
"But for how long?"
The weight of that question hung heavier than any accusation.
A moment passed.
And then she gestured ahead. "Your friend - your beta---is down in the infirmary. We did what we could for him. He's stable… for now."
