River Wolves

Rose's POV

The morning came cold again. I woke with my body still aching but my mind clearer than it had been in weeks. No nightmares this time. Just darkness and silence and a strange sense of calm.

I found my way to the great hall for breakfast. It was the first time I'd seen the River Wolves together. Wolves of all ages filled the long tables—some young, barely past their first shift, others old and scarred. They ate and talked and laughed like a real pack.

Like a family.

I stood in the doorway, suddenly feeling like an intruder.

A hand touched my arm. Lyra.

"Come on," she said. "You need to eat. Gunnar's going to destroy you again today."

"He's not going to destroy me."

"Sure." She grinned. "Keep telling yourself that."

She led me to a table near the back. Wolves glanced at me as I passed. Curious. Wary. But not hostile. Not like Silver Creek.

"Rose." A voice behind me. I turned.

An older woman stood there, gray streaking her dark hair, her eyes kind. She had the same sharp cheekbones as Aiden.

"I'm Helen," she said. "Aiden's mother."

I froze. "I thought—"

"He told you they all died." She smiled sadly. "He was young when it happened. His father. His brother. But I survived. Barely."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Few do. Aiden prefers to keep the past buried." She studied me. "You look like her, you know. His aunt. Your mother."

Everyone kept saying that. I wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"I never really knew her," I admitted. "She died when I was born."

"I know." Helen's voice was gentle. "I was there. I held her hand while she passed."

Something twisted in my chest. "You were there?"

"She made me promise to watch over you. To protect you." Helen's eyes glistened. "I failed that promise. By the time I knew what happened to your pack, you were already gone. I'm sorry, Rose."

I didn't know what to say. All these years, and someone had been out there. Someone who'd promised my mother.

"You couldn't have stopped it," I said finally. "No one could have."

"Perhaps not." She squeezed my hand. "But I can help you now. That's why I'm telling you this. You're not alone here. You have family. Even if it's only by blood."

Family. The word felt foreign. I'd had family once. My father. My pack. They were all gone.

But maybe—just maybe—I could have it again.

"Thank you," I said. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Just eat. You'll need your strength."

I sat down with Lyra and tried to eat. The food was simple—bread, cheese, meat—but it was warm and filling. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to not be hungry.

Aiden entered the hall. Conversations quieted. Wolves straightened. He walked to the high table at the front, his presence commanding attention without him saying a word.

Our eyes met. Just for a moment. Then he looked away.

"You have training today?" Lyra asked.

"Yes. Gunnar."

"Poor you." She grinned. "He'll probably break your arm."

"He'll try."

She laughed, and the sound was easy. Friendly. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like.

"Hey," she said, more serious now. "If you need someone to talk to. Someone who's not a terrifying Alpha or a grumpy old warrior. I'm here."

I looked at her. A wolf barely older than me, eyes sharp and kind. A girl who didn't seem to care about the politics or the bloodlines or the ancient power flowing through my veins.

"Thanks, Lyra."

"Don't mention it. Seriously." She wrinkled her nose. "I have a reputation to protect."

I didn't know what that reputation was, but I smiled anyway. It felt strange on my face. Rusty. Like I'd forgotten how.

---

Gunnar's POV

She came to the courtyard ready. I could see it in her eyes. She'd eaten. Rested. Let her guard down just enough to heal.

Good. Weak wolves got eaten. This one was learning.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yes."

"No hesitation. Good. That's the first thing you've done right."

Her jaw tightened. I liked that. Fire. A wolf with fire was a wolf who could be forged.

"Today," I said, "we're going to test your instincts. No fighting. Just reacting."

I threw a small rock at her head. She caught it.

"Good. You see the movement, you react. That's instincts. That's what keeps you alive."

She held the rock, confused. "That's it?"

"That's it." I threw another rock. She caught that one too.

"The Old Moon blood is unconscious power. Instinct. The part of you that moves before you think. Gunnar's job is to train your body," Aiden had told me earlier. "I'll train your blood."

I threw another rock, faster. She caught it.

"Now," I said. "Throw them back."

She hesitated.

"Don't think. Throw."

She threw. They hit the ground at my feet. Good. Not perfect, but good.

"Again." I threw another. She caught. Threw. Caught. Threw.

We kept going until my arm was tired and her aim was better.

"Enough," I said. "You'll learn to trust your body. The rest will follow."

She nodded, sweat beading on her forehead. She was tired. Pushing herself too hard. But that was her nature. She didn't know how to stop.

"Go eat," I said. "Rest. Tomorrow we'll move on to hand-to-hand."

"You mean you'll beat me again."

"Yes." I grinned. "That's exactly what I mean."

She almost smiled. Almost. Something in her chest loosened.

I'd seen it before. Wolves broken by loss. Wolves who thought they'd never recover.

She was different. She had something inside her that wouldn't break. The Old Moon blood, maybe. Or just sheer stubbornness. Either way, it was enough.

---

Rose's POV

I found Edwin in the infirmary. He was sitting on a cot, his arm wrapped in fresh bandages. The healer was checking his wound.

"Still alive?" I asked.

"Barely." He grinned. "The healer says I should take it easy. Can't shift for another week."

"Does that bother you?"

"No." He shrugged. "I've been human for a while. Getting used to it again."

I sat down on the cot beside him. The healer glanced at us, then left.

"Lyra's nice," I said. "She offered to listen. If I need to talk."

"She's good people. All the River Wolves are. Aiden's built something real here."

"He told me I need to trust them. Let them help."

Edwin looked at me carefully. "Do you trust us?"

I thought about it. Really thought. Helen's promise to my mother. Lyra's easy friendship. Gunnar's rough kindness. Edwin's steady presence.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I want to. But I trusted Ethan. I trusted Fiona. And look what happened."

"Ethan and Fiona are snakes. We're not." He met my eyes. "I know it's hard. Trust after betrayal. But if you never let anyone in, you'll be alone forever."

"Maybe alone is safer."

"Safer, yes." He reached out, taking my hand. "But lonely. You deserve better than lonely, Rose."

I looked at our joined hands. His warmth. His steadiness.

"I'll try," I said. "That's all I can promise."

"It's enough."

We sat there in silence. The infirmary was quiet. The sun slanted through the window, warm on my face.

For the first time in a long time, I felt something like peace.

It wouldn't last. I knew that. There were battles coming. Revenge to claim. A war to win.

But right now, in this moment, I had a hand to hold and wolves who cared.

Maybe that was enough to start.