Caleb studied me again, more intently this time, as if reassessing not just my words but the conviction behind them. “And you think this will hold?”
“I think it has a better chance than everyone scattering in fear,” I said. “And better than marching toward Shadowick looking for answers that will cost more than you can afford to pay.”
That did it.
A murmur ran through the group, low and uneasy. Shadowick was a word that carried weight even among shifters, a place of bargains that never favored those who entered desperate.
“For now,” Caleb said slowly, “we can agree to your terms.”
The wordfor nowsettled into my bones, sending ripples I couldn’t yet see the edges of.
“We’ll keep to the Wilds,” he continued. “Our packs will respect your boundaries. We won’t interfere with your students.”
“And if conflict arises?” I asked.
He met my gaze evenly. “We’ll bring it to you first.”
It was the best promise I could hope for.
I nodded. “Then you’re welcome here.”
The Academy responded before I could say anything more. A subtle warmth spread outward from the threshold, not dramatic, not visible, but unmistakable. The trees along the edge of the woods rustled, leaves turning as if in greeting.
Caleb felt it too. I could tell by the way his shoulders eased just a fraction.
“We’ll move carefully,” he said. “There won’t be a sudden influx. It will take days for all the clans to arrive.”
“We look forward to it.”
As the pack began to turn away, already discussing logistics in low voices, the pressure I’d been holding back finally made itself known. It sat heavy in my chest, a simmering awareness that I was standing at the center of a growing convergence, not just of people, but of expectations.
I wasn’t naïve enough to believe this would be easy.
Balance rarely was.
Compassion required vigilance, and hope needed tending, especially when fear was quicker to take root.
As Caleb paused once more at the edge of the path, he glanced back at me.
“You’re taking on a great deal,” he said. “For someone who didn’t ask for any of this.”
I smiled faintly. “None of us asked for what’s happening. But we still get to choose how we respond.”
He considered that, then gave a short nod. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad we knocked on Stonewick’s door.”
“So am I,” I said.
As they disappeared into the trees, the Wilds already beginning to shift to accommodate them, I let out a slow breath.
This was becoming a pressure cooker, no doubt about it.
But as I turned back toward the Academy, feeling its steady presence at my back, one thought anchored me.
They had come here.
Not to Shadowick.
And for now, that was enough to keep hope alive.
