*Hailey's POV*
The portal snapped shut.
Silence.
We returned to the castle at dawn.
We were bloodied, broken, but alive. And together.
The castle smelled like ash and roses.
A strange mix, I thought, as I sat on the edge of the west balcony, watching the first rays of morning slip through the broken arches. For the first time in what felt like forever, the light didn't look like a warning—it looked like a beginning.
Below, the pack moved in slow, quiet motions. Rebuilding had already started. Not from a place of desperation, but calm. Healing. A girl with dirt on her cheeks passed a bucket to a boy with torn sleeves, and they both smiled as if they hadn't just survived the end of the world.
"Hailey," Vickson's voice came soft behind me, "they're asking if you'll speak again tonight. A ceremony. Something small."
I didn't turn to him just yet. My eyes stayed fixed on the hills beyond the castle walls. They looked green again. Alive.
