Calla returned not long after with another young woman in tow, this one tall and lean with a heavy braid down her back and a quiet, unreadable gaze.
"She'll show you to a tent," Calla said softly. "It's not much, but it's warm. Rest, Violet. You've clearly traveled far."
I didn't correct her use of my birth name.
The young woman didn't speak as she led me between the maze of tents and handmade shelters. The camp was larger than I expected—too big to be run without some kind of structure, even if they claimed not to follow an Alpha. Smoke drifted from cook fires. Someone laughed near a circle of elders playing a game with stones. And still, others moved with practiced silence, keeping to shadows.
My guide stopped in front of a faded red tent near the outer edge of the camp. It was simple, but a blanket hung over the entrance for privacy. She nodded once and then turned away without a word.
