Chapter 52. Bonds Forged in Ash

The morning came pale and cold, the light thin as it crept across the broken stones of the courtyard.

Selene stood at its head, armor pieced together from salvaged scraps and reforged plates, her sword strapped firmly across her back. The metal was scarred, mismatched, but solid—much like the wolves gathered around her. All through the courtyard, the pack readied themselves in silence, tightening straps, checking blades, steadying one another with brief touches and nods. Their faces were grim, but their eyes held purpose.

The survivors of the Crown, who had once been little more than shadows haunting broken halls, now stood in formation beside them. Their armor was chipped, their weapons old, yet something fierce burned behind their exhaustion: a hunger to live, and to reclaim what had been stolen from them.

Garron approached through the ranks, his steps slow but