The kings watched from the edge of the yard. They stayed close but they no longer hovered. They had learned. The bond between us felt solid, the kind of strength that came after too many nights of holding back fear.
After the session I walked the corridors with the kings. The keep felt alive with purpose. Wolves nodded as we passed, their eyes sharp, their steps purposeful.
The new laws on shared resources had eased the tension in the outer farms. The gammas who once whispered against the changes now nodded when I spoke.
The victory over Vespera had shifted something inside them. The diplomacy ride had sealed it.
We returned to the chambers as the sun dropped behind the western ridge. There was nothing much to do during the day other than putting one or two things in place and making the regular rounds and checks. The children were waiting on the furs, the nursery women having brought them up early.
