Night returned, but it didn't bring peace.
It never did anymore.
Blackclaw was quieter now—on the surface. The wounded had been treated, the dead honored, the compound partially restored. Guards doubled their patrols, warriors rotated in shifts, and every shadow was watched twice.
But beneath that—
Tension coiled.
Waiting.
Selene stood alone on the highest balcony of the Alpha compound, the cold wind brushing against her skin as she stared into the endless stretch of forest beyond.
Somewhere out there—
Malric was watching.
Planning.
Waiting.
And the worst part?
A part of her knew—
He wasn't wrong to wait.
Because she wasn't ready.
Not fully.
Not yet.
"You're thinking too loud."
Selene didn't turn.
She didn't need to.
"Then stop listening."
Silas stepped beside her anyway, his presence filling the silence without breaking it.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
The weight of everything that had happened still lingered between them.
