The night is too quiet.
Kael stands at the edge of his territory, the boundary marked by ancient trees and silent warnings. Beyond it lies uncertainty… danger… and the one truth he can no longer ignore.
Aria is alive.
And slipping away.
Behind him, his pack sleeps—unaware, unprepared, unprotected.
An Alpha does not leave his territory.
An Alpha does not abandon his people.
An Alpha does not chase ghosts.
But this is no ghost.
Kael exhales slowly, his jaw tight as conflict burns through him. Duty claws at one side of him.
Instinct devours the other.
His wolf doesn’t hesitate.
Go.
“I’ll be back,” he mutters under his breath—though he doesn’t know if it’s a promise… or a lie.
Without another glance behind, Kael steps past the boundary.
The moment his foot crosses it, something
