The silhouette moved closer through the shadows, and my heart thumped in my chest, steady and sharp. My body was on instinct, muscles coiling, senses sharpening. The wolf, or whatever it truly was, didn’t hesitate. It didn’t snarl, it didn’t growl. It just moved with a measured, deliberate pace, eyes fixed on me.
The broken trees and debris of the abandoned Redwater Falls packhouse cast jagged shadows across the clearing. I could see the tension in its muscles even from this distance. Every step it took was calculated, careful, and I could feel its awareness brushing against my mind like a cold wind.
The former alpha, standing a few feet to my left, stiffened, one hand resting on the hilt of a hunting knife strapped to his belt. “Don’t make sudden movements.” He warned quietly. “Whatever
