Kael
We entered the forest slowly, leaving the vehicles behind with two guards stationed nearby. The first several yards were worse than they looked from the road. Branches snagged against shoulders, roots broke the ground in uneven ridges, and dead leaves hid dips deep enough to twist an ankle if someone stepped carelessly.
In Lycan form, we were stronger, faster, harder to kill, but not immune to stupidity. One bad step into hidden metal could still cost blood, time, and focus. I knew that better than most.
Drake seemed to know it too.
He moved ahead of us, not fast, but with unnerving precision. At first glance, it looked like instinct. After a few minutes, I realized it was anything but. He wasn’t simply following the trail. He was reading the forest around it, letting his attenti
