Three weeks passed before the assault followed the trial.
Inside the fortress comms hub, Sage scrolled through updates from every corner of the land - wolf packs reporting in, connection statuses flickering past, minor flare-ups demanding quick eyes. That fifth bond buzzed steady beneath her skin these days. Over time she'd gotten better at tuning it, pulling sharp focus onto what mattered most while letting the endless quiet pulse of countless linked lives fade into static behind glass.
Yet it hit her. Hard. Out of nowhere. A jolt that tore through quiet moments like wind ripping paper. Stillness shattered. Her breath caught mid-air.
A crack runs through it. This is no slow decay. No wearing thin. It splits apart.
Beyond the westlands lies Silverbrook Pack territory. A wolf from their group - laid out cold. Not just dead. Killed on purpose. The killing meant to rip the pack connection apart in the worst way. Sharp pain built into every cut.
