Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter

85

The camp was unnervingly quiet in the hours following the retreat. Wolves moved about with subdued urgency, their eyes downcast as they tended to the wounded and reinforced the defenses. The once-tight unity that defined the pack seemed to falter, a sense of unease

creeping into the air like an unseen specter.

Aurora sat at Cassian's bedside, her hands folded tightly in her lap. The healers had patched his wounds, but his recovery would take time. He stirred, his lashes fluttering as his eyes opened to find her watching him.

"You look worse than I feel," he murmured, his voice weak but tinged with a faint smile.

Aurora exhaled sharply, her relief momentarily overshadowing her worry. "You scared me."

though his wince betrayed his words. "What about the pack?

quietly. "But they're

gaze hardened. "Then we have to show them there's still hope.

near the central fire. The flames flickered weakly, mirroring the strained morale of

much ground," Nathan said, his tone grim. "And the Lycan King knows it. He'll strike again before we have

Anica added. "The Pact is breaking. The

her sides. "Then we need to find a way to fix

every time you draw on its power, you're pulling from something greater than yourself." Aurora's chest tightened as the weight of their words sank in. "Then what am I supposed to

pushing the way you did today, the Pact will start drawing from those closest to

breath catching. "What do you

a bond," Anica explained. "When it's strained, it pulls strength from the connections you value most.