The courtyard did not sleep that night.
Even after most of the pack retreated indoors, even after the torches burned low and the moon climbed higher above the walls, a restless current remained in the air.
Selara felt it as she finally turned away from the empty space where Lyanna had disappeared.
The silence wasn't peaceful.
It was waiting.
She crossed the courtyard slowly, boots scraping faintly against the stone. A few warriors still lingered along the edges of the training grounds, speaking in low voices. Conversations cut short when she passed.
Not hostile.
But watchful.
Everyone in the pack knew what tomorrow meant.
Strength.
Control.
Leadership.
Three trials that would determine far more than pride.
Selara didn't stop walking until she reached the outer edge of the training field. The space was quiet now, the practice weapons stacked neatly along the racks, the sparring ring empty beneath the moonlight.
Tomorrow it would be filled with witnesses.
