Chapter 549

Nina

The warmth of the morning sun filtered through the opening of our tent, gently pulling me out of the soundest sleep I had had in… well, I couldn’t even remember how long it had been.

Slowly, I turned to see Enzo still sleeping beside me, peaceful as ever. Memories of our night together came flooding back, coloring my cheeks with a slight blush. He stirred, as if on cue, and his eyes looked like golden pools of honey as they met mine.

“Mm. Morning,” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep as he pulled me closer, pressing a warm kiss into my temple.

I nestled against him, relishing in the comforting familiarity of his touch after so long being separated. “Good morning,” I whispered.

For a few moments, we simply laid there, basking in each other’s presence and the tranquility of the new day. But gradually, the sounds of the camp stirring to life began to filter through the canvas walls of our tent—the soft murmurs of voices, the crackle of fires being stoked, the aroma of cooking food wafting through the air.

As we emerged from the tent a little while later, the camp was already a bustling hive of activity, with everyone going about their morning routines as usual.

“Nina!” a familiar voice called out, drawing my attention to where Kai stood beside one of the larger tents, his weathered walking stick firmly planted in the ground.

I walked over to him with Enzo beside me. The old man carefully studied Enzo’s face, but there was no level of distrust there. “Enzo, is it?” he asked. “You seem to have healed well.”

Enzo nodded and dipped his head respectfully in Kai’s direction. “Thanks to the work of your healers, or so I’ve been told,” he said.

“Aye.” Kai harrumphed. “Your kind heals well on your own, though, from what I’ve gathered.”

“Some of us, yes.”

Kai inclined his head in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to me. “Nina, I was hoping you might join me for a little while,” he said, his expression turning serious. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with the others, and I could use your support.”

“Of course,” I said, giving Enzo’s hand a gentle squeeze before following Kai towards the center of the camp.

As we reached the center of the camp, I noticed that a crowd had already begun to gather, watching with curiosity. Kai stepped forward, his presence commanding attention without a word spoken, and the murmurs of conversation gradually fell away.

“My friends,” he began, “we have endured much in these past days—losses that have shaken us to our very cores, trials that have tested the limits of our strength and resilience.”

“But even in the face of such adversity,” he continued, his eyes sweeping over the assembled crowd, “we have persevered. We have banded together, drawn strength from one another, and begun to forge a new path—a path that will lead us not only to survival, but to something greater: a true home, a place where we can live and thrive in peace and harmony.”

“It will not be easy,” he said, his gaze turning solemn. “There will be challenges and obstacles to overcome, hardships and sacrifices to endure. But I believe, with every fiber of my being, that we are equal to the task.”

He paused, and in that moment, a hush fell over the crowd.

“Here, in this place, we will build our new home,” Kai declared. “A home where we can live in peace, where our children can grow and thrive without fear or oppression. A home that will stand as a beacon of hope and resilience for generations to come.”

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause, a wave of excitement sweeping through the camp.

Kai turned to me then and clapped a weathered old hand on my shoulder. “Will you help us, wolf girl?” he asked. “I understand if you have other matters to attend to…”

I paused, glancing around at my friends. They all stood off to the side, watching expectantly. We had a home of our own to get back to—at the very least, my mother was certainly losing her mind over whatever had happened to all of us.

But I knew we had to help. We couldn’t just leave, not after everything. And I knew that not a single one of us would choose not to stay, at least for a few more days, and lend whatever help we could.

I nodded, flashing Kai a smile. “We’ll help. It’s the least we can do.”

…

As the following days passed, Kai’s words proved to be more than just rhetoric. With a renewed sense of purpose, the refugees poured their energy into building their new home, working tirelessly to transform the camp into a thriving community.

Enzo, Matt and Daphne, Jessica and Lori, Luke and Tyler, and myself—we were right there alongside them, lending our hands and our support wherever it was needed. We helped construct sturdy homes, tilled the soil for planting fruits and vegetables, and lent our strength to whatever tasks were required.

Soon, the camp began to turn into more than just a camp; the tents turned into permanent structures, the footpaths were tilled and lined with stones into proper walkways, and in the center of it all, a village square was created.

This all happened in just a few days. It was impressive how quickly things could happen if everyone just banded together, and it reminded me so much of how Mountainview was returned to its normal state after the Crescent attack.

No matter what, people would persevere. I had learned that countless times in recent history.

Over the days, we also became a part of the community itself. It was shaky at first, with some being bitter and angry over the fires that had, in many ways, been our fault—and I didn’t blame them.

But soon, those barriers started to come down. Before we knew it, we were sharing meals around the fire, exchanging stories and laughter, reveling in the simple joys that had been so rare in our lives of late.

And yet, even as the days turned into a week, and the camp evolved into a bustling village, there was one thing that weighed heavily on my mind—the absence of my father.

No matter how hard I tried to push it aside, a tendril of dread would twist inside of me, growing stronger with each passing day. There was no word from him, no sight of him, nothing. Each day, Daphne would shift into her bird form and fly in miles all around, but there was not so much as a hint of his return.

Of course, I would be naive to assume outright that nothing had happened to him. There was a very real possibility that he had been injured, or even killed, trying to take down Mila.

But there was nothing that I could do about it now.

Soon, our stay came to an end. Just a little over a week passed, and the new village was flourishing. A small memorial for those who had been lost in the fires and in Mila’s palace had been held the night before, and the village was both somber and at peace at the same time.

“Ready?” Enzo asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

I nodded, slipping the journal back into my bag. It was useless to me now, but I would return it to its rightful place in the library. If it came in handy for me during such trying times, then perhaps it would do the same in the future. I hoped that it wouldn’t need to be used by anyone ever again, but I knew it wouldn’t be right to burn it or bury it as I had once thought.

“Yeah.” I straightened, picking up my bag.

For a moment, our eyes met in the dim light of our tent and the space between us felt both infinite and miniscule at the same time. The part of our bond that had been destroyed when Enzo rejected me as his mate had still not been repaired, and it still hurt.

But now was not the time to dwell—because a moment later, the tent flap opened to reveal Luke’s face peering in at us.

“It’s time to go home.”