The clearing did not recover quickly after that.
Even after the wind shifted, carrying the sharp scent of pine away from the summit, the stillness remained. Sila stepped back from the center of the clearing, her hands trembling so violently she had to press them against her thighs. Her knees visibly weakened, and Mara immediately moved to her side, catching her elbow before she could stumble into the dirt.
The silence that hovered over the ridge wasn't the frantic, panicky quiet that usually followed a display of raw power. It was heavy, reflective, and thick with an unspoken realization. No one looked at the Omegas in the circle the same way anymore. It wasn't an open change, nor was it something anyone consciously decided to do, but Alistair could feel the difference moving through the ridge like an invisible current.
