Chapter 147. A Moment of Peace

Xander’s POV

The first thing I noticed when we stepped back into Crimson Pack territory was the air.

It was different. Lighter. Cleaner. Gone was the heavy, suffocating pressure that had lingered like a noose around this place. The sickness, the darkness, the rot.. it was gone.

The second thing I noticed was the people.

Wolves rushed from their homes, from the infirmaries where they had been bedridden, from the training grounds where they had once been too weak to fight. Their faces, drawn and gaunt from weeks of suffering, now glowed with something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Hope.

A murmur rippled through the crowd, then a roar.

“It’s over!”

“The curse is broken!”

“We’re free!”

The entire pack erupted. Some fell to their knees in exhausted relief. Others clung to their loved ones, sobbing openly. Warriors lifted their heads to the sky and howled—a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the land.

Alison’s finger