The wolf’s growl lingered in the air, low and resonant, like a warning that pressed against my chest. Every hair on my arms stood on end, and my senses sharpened as though I were back in the middle of a hunt, back when survival wasn’t just instinct. It was everything.
Asher’s gaze swept the forest line, eyes narrowing, shoulders tense. “Trinny… whatever’s out there.” He said, voice tight, “It’s close. Too close.”
I nodded, feeling the pulse of the wolf in my mind again. Protect. Protect. Protect. Its awareness pressed into mine, guiding me, giving me the sense that danger wasn’t just coming. It was already here, circling, waiting.
Elias moved subtly to my left, knife in hand, scanning the shadows like he’d done a thousand times before. Dane stayed closer to the wolf, his stance alert bu
