I looked at the three small figures tangled together on the bed and felt the familiar fierce love rise in my chest.
Elara had saved lives today. Her gift had become a beacon for the pack. Yet the cost had nearly broken her. We would find balance before the spirit demanded more.
The following days brought careful recovery. Elara woke weaker but steady. She rested under our watch while the pack searched for the source of the tainted grain.
Thorne mapped the trade routes and spotted the point of entry.
Lila shielded the investigation teams.
The pack worked with renewed purpose. Their young heir had fallen protecting them. They would not let the threat stand.
One evening during a quiet meal Elara looked up from her plate. "The spirit showed me the man who tainted the grain. He wears eastern colors but hides in southern wagons. He serves the same shadow we bound on the isles.".
