Chapter 175 A Place to Begin

Chapter 175 A Place to Begin
Ivy POV

The summit ended the next morning.
The courtyard was busy long before sunrise. Vehicles lined the entrance to Blackwood while wolves loaded bags into the back of trucks.

Delegates shook hands instead of arguing. Some exchanged numbers. Others made plans for the next council meeting before climbing into their cars. Watching them felt strange.

Only a week ago, most of them had barely looked at one another. Now they were leaving as allies. Caden came to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.

"They'll be back."

I looked across the courtyard. Alpha Chen was laughing with Alpha Sofia while Alpha Rafael teased Lucas about making the next meeting shorter.

Even Alpha Idris, who rarely smiled, looked relaxed as he spoke with a few warriors near the gate.

"I know," I said. "It still feels strange."

"What does?"

"Watching everyone leave without wondering who's going to start another fight."

A quiet laugh escaped him."I could get used to this."

One by one, the Alphas came over before they left. Chen was first."You gave us more than a charter." He held out his hand. "You reminded us we're stronger together."

I shook it. "You all built it. I only asked the questions."

He smiled. "Keep telling yourself that."

Sofia hugged me before stepping back.
"If the next summit is half as dramatic as this one, I'm bringing stronger coffee."

Rafael laughed. "And I'm bringing earplugs."

The joke spread through the group, and for a moment nobody felt like an Alpha. They were simply friends teasing one another before a long trip home.

The last vehicle rolled through the gates just before noon. Silence settled over the compound. Not the heavy silence that followed battle. A peaceful one.

Caden slipped his hand into mine."I forgot what quiet sounded like."

"So did I."

He glanced toward the training grounds.
"What do you want to do today?"

I looked at him."Are you asking the Keeper or Ivy?"

"I stopped asking the Keeper a long time ago."

A smile spread across my face."Then I don't know."

"Good."

He started walking."Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere important."

That answer was enough. We wandered through Blackwood without a plan.
Builders were replacing the last damaged roof near the eastern wall.

A few children had claimed a pile of snow as their fortress and shouted challenges at anyone who walked past. Someone called Caden over to settle an argument about the rules of a game.

He spent five minutes pretending to be a judge before announcing that everyone had cheated. The children laughed and declared him the worst referee in Blackwood.

He looked offended."I was completely fair."

One little girl folded her arms."You were making up rules."

"I prefer the word improving."

She threw a snowball at him. It hit him square in the chest. He stared at the wet patch on his coat before looking at me.

"You saw that."

"I did."

"And you're not going to defend me?"

"I think she had a good case."

Another snowball flew toward me. I ducked too late. Cold snow exploded against my shoulder. The children scattered, laughing as they ran.

Caden looked far too pleased with himself.
"You deserved that."

"I wasn't even involved."

"You sided with the enemy."

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Maybe this was what healing looked like. Not grand speeches. Not ceremonies. Just ordinary moments that didn't exist before.

By late afternoon we found ourselves beneath the old oak tree overlooking the compound. Months ago we had stood here planning battles.

Today we watched smoke curl from chimneys while families walked home carrying bread and firewood. Everything looked different. Not because Blackwood had changed. Because we had.

Caden stretched out his legs. "What happens now?"

"I thought you were the one with all the answers."

"I retired."

I bumped his shoulder."I think we finally get to live."

He looked at me for a long moment. "What does that look like?"

I smiled.

"I want to finish my psychology degree. I want an apartment that doesn't hide ancient secrets under the floorboards. I want to argue over whose turn it is to cook dinner."

His grin grew wider. "Anything else?"

"I want a life that doesn't depend on saving the world."

He nodded slowly. "I can give you that."

"What about you?"

His answer came without hesitation.
"You."

Heat crept into my cheeks."That's your whole plan?"

"It's a good one."

I leaned over and kissed him. No destiny.
No prophecy. Just us. When we pulled apart, a strange warmth spread across the mark on my back.

I froze. The feeling wasn't painful. It was almost... familiar. Gone as quickly as it came. Caden's smile faded.

"You felt that?"

I nodded. Before I could answer, he pressed a hand against his shoulder, his eyes narrowing.

"I didn't feel the mark," he said quietly. "But something changed."

The wind swept through the branches above us. For the first time since Elara's farewell, the peace around Blackwood no longer felt complete.