And I knew—without a shadow of a doubt—
They had underestimated her.
And they never should have come to Eagle River.
40
Nora
Eagle River didn’t wake up all at once.
It eased into morning—coffee shops unlocking their doors, frost sparkling on rooftops, the river moving like it always had, unaware that monsters had passed through the night before.
From the outside, nothing looked different.
But everything felt changed.
I stood on the porch of the tavern, wrapped in Wolf’s jacket now—the sleeves too long, the scent of him everywhere—and watched the mist rise off the trees. It was quiet in a way I hadn’t known in weeks.
The good kind of quiet.
Behind me, the door creaked softly.
Wolf stepped out carrying two mugs. He handed one to me without a word.
I took it, fingers curling around the warmth. “Coffee?”
“Strong. No questions asked.”
I smiled faintly. “You know me well for someone who met me a couple months ago.”
His mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “I pay attention.”
We stood shoulder to shoulder, not touching but close enough that the space between us didn’t feel empty. For the first time since all this began, my chest didn’t feel tight with anticipation or fear.
Just… full.
“What happens now?” I asked quietly.
Wolf stared out at the trees for a long moment. “Now the paperwork starts. The kind that takes months. Years.” He huffed softly. “Keller’s going to sing. They always do when the illusion of control is gone.”
“And the others?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Still out there. But exposed. That program won’t survive daylight.”
I nodded, sipping the coffee. “I keep waiting to feel… broken.”
Wolf turned to me.
“And?”
“I don’t.” I thought about it, really listening to myself. “I feel tired. Angry. Sad.” I glanced up at him. “But not broken.”
Something passed through his eyes then—relief and pride tangled together so tightly I felt it settle into my bones.
“That’s because you never were,” he said.
I hesitated. “Wolf… last night. When Keller said you were supposed to retrieve me.”
