Chapter 396 The balcony

Chapter 396: Chapter 396 The balcony

Talia’s POV

The cold wind bit at my skin, but I did not move.

I stood at the stone railing of the balcony, and I looked down at the valley below.

I stood there for a long time, letting the cold air fill my lungs. The fear was still there, but it had settled. It was no longer a storm inside my chest, it was a quiet hum beneath my skin.

I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin. The fear was still there, but it no longer controlled me.

I let my eyes drift across the valley one more time, because I wanted to remember this. All of it.

Thousands of wolves were gathered there, from every allied pack. Their fires burned like stars scattered across the darkness, and their voices rose in low murmurs that carried on the wind.

I could see the banners of Stoneclaw and Thornwood and Silver Ridge planted in the earth. The Stoneclaw banner was tattered at the edges, like a reminder of the battles they had already fought. The Thornwood banner was new, its colors bright against the night sky. The Silver Ridge banner was small, but it flew proudly beside the others.

I could see warriors sharpening blades by the firelight, and the sound of metal on stone carried up to me. I could see young wolves huddled together for warmth, with their shoulders pressed close.

could see healers moving between the camps, and I knew that they were checking supplies and preparing bandages for the battle.

I could see guards walking the perimeter with their eyes on the darkness beyond.

I looked back at the allies camp. I could smell the smoke from their fires, and I could smell the scent of so many wolves in one place. It smelled of sweat and leather and steel, and it smelled of wolves who had left their homes to fight for something bigger than themselves.

The sounds of their blades been sharpened and their noises drifted up to me in pieces. There was a laugh here, a low conversation there, and the clang of a blade being sharpened.

I thought about what they were all here for, and I thought about what they would face tomorrow.

They were here because of me. They were here because they believed in me, and they were here because they believed that a world without Malachai was possible.

My shoulders ached under the weight of their belief, but I would not put it down. It was the most precious thing they could have given me.

Then something shifted, like a change in the air, and a warmth that had nothing to do with the fires below.

Movements came from behind, but I did not hear him approach at first. The wind was too loud, and my thoughts were too heavy.

It got closer, and I finally heard the footsteps behind me louder, but I did not turn.

I knew the sound of his walk, the weight of his steps, and the rhythm of his breath.

Kaelen stopped beside me. He did not speak at first, he just looked out at the valley with me.

We stood in silence, side by side, watching the army below. The wind tugged at my cloak, and I pulled it tighter around my shoulders. I could feel the warmth of his body beside me, like a small comfort against the cold.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. We did not need to.

"I was looking for you," he said finally.

I kept my eyes on the fires. "I needed air. I needed to see them."

He nodded. He did not ask why, because he already knew.

He let the silence stretch between us, but it was not uncomfortable. Then he spoke again.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

I let out a slow breath. "Tomorrow."

I paused. Then I continued.

"I am thinking about the wolves who will not survive. I am thinking about the ones who will come home without their friends, their mates, or their family."

My voice cracked on the last word, but I did not try to hide it.

Kaelen listened, and he did not interrupt me.

I looked at him. "How do you carry the weight?" I asked.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he reached for my hand, and he laced his fingers through mine.

"I do not carry it alone," he said. "That is why I have you."

His words wrapped around me, and the tightness in my chest eased. I felt like I could breathe again.

I had not realized how much I needed to hear that.

I turned to look at him. His gray eyes were soft in the firelight. The hard edges of his face had softened, and for a moment, he looked like the boy he might have been before the weight of the Alpha title was placed on his shoulders.

"Whatever happens tomorrow," he said, "we face it together."

I nodded. "We face it together."

We stood there, holding hands, and looking at the army below.

The silence between us was much more comfortable now, and full of things we did not need to say.

"I remember the first time I saw you," Kaelen said. "In Cresswood. You were small, and you were scared. But your eyes were fierce."

I laughed softly. "I was just trying to survive."

He shook his head. "That is what greatness is: Survival, and refusing to break."

I tucked his words away deep in my heart, where I would find them when I needed them the most.

I remembered the weight of the dagger against my hip. I had almost forgotten it was there.

"Kaelen," I said. "There is something I need to tell you."

He turned to me, his gray eyes curious. "What is it?"