The afternoon brought more reports and decisions. She approved repairs to the outer wall, settled a dispute between two hunting parties over territory, and spent an hour with the healers reviewing preparations for potential wounded.
Each choice carried the same thread — she reviewed details herself late into the night because sharing the full load still felt risky. The flaw lived in her bones now. She saw it clearly but hadn't found the way to loosen her grip without dropping threads.
As dusk fell she climbed the eastern wall again. The patrol had been gone hours. No word yet. The keep spread below her, alive with evening activity — fires being lit, families gathering for meals, wolves singing in the distance as night hunters prepared.
A naming ceremony's echoes still lingered in her mind. Those pups would grow up knowing safety because she made the hard calls.
