~Kaida Orion POV~
The elder woman slept in the corner of the council hall, her face pale as frost, I sat close by, my hands restless, eyes on the faint scars around her ankles where the roots had tried to claim her. So often, her lips trembled as if whispering, though no sound escaped, I couldn't forget the way she had walked into the forest like she belonged to someone else.
"She is breathing evenly," Lupus said quietly. He stood by the window, the pale glow of dawn tracing his sharp face. "But her mind may still be tied to whatever called her."
I looked up at him. "Do you think it will come for her again?"
He didn't answer at first, then he stepped closer. "Not just for her, but for all of us."
While we discussed the next step, a guard entered with hurried footsteps. "Alpha, someone seeks an audience, he claims to be a traveling ink merchant."
Lupus's brow furrowed. "Ink merchant? We need no merchant at this hour."
