Morning came heavy with anticipation, and the wide assembly courtyard of the estate slowly filled with wolves from every corner of the territory while the pale light of dawn spread across the ancient stones where generations before had once gathered beneath banners of conquest and obedience.
The place carried memory.
Old memory.
The dominance ceremonies.
The kneeling.
The rigid silence when the Alpha stood above them like a crowned ruler whose authority came not from trust but from fear carefully cultivated through centuries of tradition.
Elara stood near the center of the courtyard now, her hands loosely clasped while the quiet murmurs of hundreds of wolves circled around her like restless wind passing through tall grass.
She looked different than she had during the early days of her arrival.
Not stronger.
Not harder.
But steadier.
As if something inside her had finally settled into place.
