Far from her guess, the substance sat quiet on the table. It looked nothing like she had imagined it would.
Out here, she figured it would be raw. A few shacks. Fires burning where someone needed warmth. Caves if they got lucky. Four lone Alphas stuck in the Deadlands? Not exactly city planners. Buildings wouldn't just grow.
She was wrong.
Deep inside the mountain's skeleton sat the old pack settlement Kieran once talked about. Not just near it - built right into its stony frame. Long before memory, an unknown group hollowed out homes straight into the cliffside. Rooms, hallways, hidden spaces - all chewed into the rock like tunnels made by something patient and quiet. These parts linked together through tight paths snaking through the mass like bloodlines under skin. Age and storms brought down certain wings. Yet the heart stood. Firm. Shielded. Still working well enough after all that time.
