Percy's POV
Morning brought nothing but frustration. Henderson had been upset last night when I chose not to visit the pack hospital, and she made her displeasure crystal clear by pretending to sleep when I came to bed. She was terrible at faking it, but I was too drained from the battle to deal with an argument, so I just collapsed beside her.
The tension lingered this morning. I could feel her disappointment radiating across our bond, but the truth remained unchanged. This pack had survived and thrived for generations without depending on outside help. We were resilient, battle-tested, and capable. Henderson wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, and I respected that ambition, but she wasn't ready yet. She had years of learning ahead of her.
During warrior training, Deryl bounced around the training grounds like he hadn't spent yesterday fighting alongside the rest of us. His energy was grating against my exhaustion.
