The oil lamp in the corner glowed faintly gold, casting long shadows that danced across the stone walls. Kael stood frozen at the doorway, his sharp eyes softening as they landed on the figure curled beneath a heap of warm wool blankets.
Otto. The boy slept with steady breaths, his calm face free of the tension that blindness usually carved into it.
Kael felt a rush of gratitude. Void had given them this room, far from the noisy main hall, as if knowing the Alpha needed it as an anchor for his soul. Kael didn't move closer; he knew his presence alone was enough to soothe the pull of their fated bond, even in dreams.
He shut the door soundlessly and walked toward the great hall, now a temporary resting place for his people. On thick carpets and warm sheepskins, his pack slept in small clusters. His sister Lyria cradled two wolf pups against her arms, their soft snores rising and falling as their furry ears twitched at the crackle of dying firewood.
