The dawn did not rise gently upon Regina, for it came instead with a strange and watchful stillness, as though the very sky had paused in quiet anticipation of what was yet to unfold, and beneath that pale light the pack gathered, drawn not by command alone but by something deeper, something instinctive, something that stirred in their blood and would not be ignored.
They came in silence.
Warriors with scars still fresh upon their skin, elders with eyes lined by years of rule and regret, young wolves whose gazes burned with restless curiosity, and among them moved whispers, low and uncertain, carrying questions that none dared speak too loudly.
"She stood against them."
"I felt it… last night."
"Something changed."
