Chapter 57. Home

Avery’s POV

The night air was thick with the poignant smell of blood and smoke, the remnants of battle still lingering in the wind. I stood at the edge of the Golden Ridge Pack’s territory, my heart heavy with exhaustion. The battlefield was behind us, but the war was far from over. Our home was in ruins, and our people were weary, and James and Isabella would surely attack again, but I wasn’t going to give up on my home.

But I didn’t know what to do or where to start from so I stood there staring blankly at nothing in particular.

Julian approached me first, his darkened eyes searching mine. He had always been a mystery, a force of quiet strength wrapped in shadows. The concern and urgency in his eyes had my heart clenching painfully because the realization that this was real dawn on me heavily.

“Avery,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Come with me.”

I blinked up at him, taken aback. “What?”

We were still on this?

“Come with me,” he