Faye's POV
"The north might be the coldest place you'll ever see, but that doesn't make us poor," Selena said, offering me a steaming bowl of porridge with a gentle smile.
I accepted it gratefully, wrapping my fingers around the warm ceramic. "Actually, we're quite wealthy up here."
I nodded, though my childhood had been filled with warnings about the brutal northern territories. Stories of people freezing to death before dawn, of wild beasts dragging travelers from their tents in the night. No one had ever mentioned prosperity.
Weeks had passed since we fled Scarlet Howlers territory, since we watched those lands burn alongside the Duskwood Pack. Scattered reports from our scouts reached us daily, but I pushed the news aside. The road was no place to process the destruction we'd left behind.
