They didn't leave immediately. That was the first problem.
Korr's wolves lingered at the tree line like carrion birds, their yellow eyes tracking every movement I made. Malice shimmered off them—not the clean aggression of a challenge, but something darker. Patient. They were waiting, measuring how long the "little girl" playing at Alpha could keep it together before she finally shattered.
I lingered in the clearing long after everyone else retreated. The woods that had cradled me in security and safety since childhood had become hostile and dangerous now. My father's house loomed behind me, full of ghosts and expectations I wasn't sure I could survive.
Luna Elizabeth had already vanished inside, her voice echoing sharp orders as she wrangled the legal chaos. She epitomized future Luna
