The sun dipped low, painting the forest in molten gold, but the wolf’s tension had already set the clearing ablaze with unease. Its body coiled, muscles taut, head held high, ears flicking toward the treeline where the road from town twisted out of view. I felt it before I saw it. A familiar energy, small but undeniable, carried on the wind like a whisper.
Emily.
The wolf’s growl vibrated through the air, low and throaty, more like a warning than a threat, but I knew instinctively it wasn’t directed at us. Every hair along its spine rose, the weight of its focus clear in the way it shifted, paw scraping against the pen floor.
“It knows she’s coming.” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.
Asher’s hand touched my arm, grounding me. “Then we need to make sure nothing interferes unt
