Chapter 232. Emergency: pt. 1

Aurora’s POV

I still remember the way Caroline’s voice lowered when she first mentioned the rogue wolves. It wasn’t just fear—it was the sort of trembling dread you carry in your bones, like a memory you wish you could unhear. We’d been sitting by the stream behind the old training fields, the wind tugging at her blonde hair, and for a moment, it had almost felt peaceful—until she said it.

“They’re not like us anymore,” she whispered, eyes darting around as if speaking of them aloud might summon them. “Rogues… they’ve lost their minds. They’re not wolves anymore, and they’re not human either. Just... beasts. They’ve lost their abilities to turn back into their human form.” I had blinked at her, waiting for her to laugh and say she was joking, but she didn’t. She stared at the water, her fingers tightening around a small stone until her knuckles turned white.

“They’ve been exiled, abandoned, some broken from birth or ruined by loss. And once they give in to t