The estate gradually settled back into its familiar rhythm once more. Servants quietly removed the last of the decorations from the previous evening's engagement banquet, while the musicians packed away their instruments and the remaining guests departed one after another.
What had been filled with laughter and celebration only hours earlier slowly returned to the peaceful atmosphere that had defined Silver Ridge for generations.
Standing beside one of the tall windows overlooking the courtyard, Luna Winters watched the servants work in silence. "It feels so empty already," she murmured.
Alpha Richard Winters joined her, his gaze following the winding road that disappeared beyond the estate gates. "Children always leave eventually." His voice remained calm and steady, yet there was a quiet weight behind the words. "We simply hope we've prepared them well enough to walk their own paths."
