Chapter 44
Raphael moved through the corridors with long, purposeful strides.
The packhouse felt different tonight heavier, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath. He followed the familiar pull in his chest, that quiet, insistent tug that always led him to Julian.
He found him in the common room.
Julian was seated in the midst of a loose circle of wolves, their chairs drawn close together, voices low but animated.
He could hear them They were talking about nothing and everything, Raphael guessed. Old hunts. Training stories. A ridiculous argument about whose turn it was to fix the broken bench outside.
Julian wasn't speaking much, but he was listening with rapt attention, green eyes bright, head tilted slightly as though he didn't want to miss a single word.
For a moment, Raphael just watched.
Julian looked… good. Not fully healed, not entirely free of the shadows that lingered in him, but present. Engaged.
