Chapter 197 Trust Restored

• The three days before the meeting with Alpha Kieran passed in a haze of preparation and paranoia. Every shadow could hide an assassin. Every messenger might carry poisoned words instead of genuine correspondence.
• But beneath the tension, something else was happening. The pack was healing.
• I noticed it in small things first. Students laughing during training instead of going through motions with haunted eyes. Teachers debating curriculum changes rather than just survival strategies. Wolves from different factions working side by side without the constant undercurrent of hostility.