~Matteo POV~
The first Black Wolf came over the east wall at exactly the moment Lucas and I stopped arguing long enough to notice.
There were six of them total. I counted while Lucas took the first two, moving with the kind of efficiency that reminded me, against my preference, why he had survived as long as he had. He did not waste motion. He did not posture. He simply handled the problem and moved to the next one.
I dealt with the remaining four.
When it was over, we stood in the courtyard breathing hard, and Lucas looked at the ground for a moment, then at me.
"Isabella's remaining forces," he said.
"Has to be," I said. "She is gone and whoever she left in charge is running the last orders she gave before she died."
"Which means they will keep coming," Lucas said. "In smaller waves, less coordinated, but persistent."
"Agreed." I looked at the wall. "We need to reinforce the east rotation. Put your three best on that side overnight."
