"The winds do not lie when they shift, kingdoms rise or fall depending on who dares to listen."
Niko stood at the far edge of the Northern Kingdom's great castle, where the walls stretched high into the fading horizon. The evening wind brushed her long dark hair back, carrying with it the scents of stone, pine, and storm. From here, the whole stronghold sprawled below her: the training yards where the Silver Fangs drilled restlessly, the council hall where whispers still slithered through every corner, and the Eastern wing where the chambers of the Omegas now pulsed like a living heart.
She folded her arms, narrowing her eyes as she let her instincts sink beneath the ordinary noise of the kingdom. There was always something waiting beneath, a rhythm only she could hear if she stilled herself long enough. Tonight, it throbbed like a warning.
