I looked out over the southern ridges. The snow was thinning, revealing black rock and the faint green of early spring pushing through. My father was still out there, regrouping, promising gold for my daughter's life. The witch's shadow waited for the next full moon. And now my own pack was starting to weigh the price of keeping us alive.
"We don't wait for them to come to us," I said. "We change the guard schedule every night. No one outside the four of us knows the real pattern. And we start training the women and older pups to fight. If my father wants to use fear, we give them something better to hold on to."
Darius nodded once. Kane, who had been silent behind us, spoke for the first time. "I'll handle the training. Rylan can take the scouts south and start burning those hidden supply lines."
Rylan's grin was sharp when he joined us. "Finally. I was getting bored watching the snow melt."
