Chapter 23: A New Dawn

The forest stood quiet. For the first time in years, Silver Hollow wasn’t pulsing with an undercurrent of dark magic. The trees rustled with nothing but the wind, and the soil smelled of damp earth instead of decay. The forest that had tried to consume them now lay dormant — a scar that would heal with time. Lucien stood at the edge of the treeline, his fingers twitching at his sides. His wolf stirred beneath his skin, restless but no longer chained to the Hollow’s influence. He inhaled deeply, the fresh air filling his lungs, grounding him. Serena watched him from the porch, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t call out to him. She knew he needed this moment. Needed to make peace with the forest that had tried to devour him. Lucien closed his eyes and listened. There was no voice. No shadows curling around his ankles. Just silence. A broken kind of peace. He exhaled slowly and turned back toward the manor. --- The pack was already working by the time Lucien returned