Chapter 137

• Alera’s Pov
• The courtyard was unusually lively this morning, yet an unshakable heaviness lingered in my chest. The crisp air was laced with the earthy scent of dew-soaked grass and the faint musk of wolves preparing for a journey. Today, my parents were leaving. It wasn’t a goodbye forever, not truly but it felt like one.
• I stood at the steps of the grand hall, my arms folded across my chest as I watched the bustle of warriors and attendants moving back and forth. Carriages were lined up in neat rows, their polished wooden frames glinting under the soft kiss of sunlight. Horses snorted and pawed at the ground impatiently while wolves in their massive, majestic forms trotted alongside the convoy, their heads held high as if they understood the gravity of this departure.