The sanctuary changes the moment Lina arrives.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Quietly.
Wolves who once moved freely now linger in doorways. Conversations lower when I pass. Eyes follow, not with fear, not exactly, but with something heavier.
Expectation.
I feel it in the air, in the way the valley hums differently beneath my feet. The sanctuary that once felt like refuge now feels like a place holding its breath.
I never wanted this.
My wolf shifts uneasily inside me. "They see you now."
"I was fine when they didn't," I mutter.
Lina sticks close to my side as we walk through the valley. She hasn't stopped touching something, my cloak, my hand, my arm, like she's afraid if she lets go, she'll disappear.
Her glow has dimmed, but it hasn't vanished. Silver light still pulses faintly beneath her skin, echoing the gold beneath mine.
Two beacons.
Maera meets us near the lake, her expression tight.
"You shouldn't let her cling to you," she says gently.
Lina stiffens.
