Kara leapt the drop.
We landed hard, claws digging into wet soil before surging forward again.
The fog swallowed sound.
For a moment the howls behind us faded.
Not gone.
Just muffled.
Kara slowed.
Not stopping.
Listening.
The forest had gone still.
No insects.
No wind.
Nothing but our breathing.
Then—
A step.
Not the reckless crash of a careless hunter.
Measured.
Deliberate.
My heart slammed once against my ribs.
Kara froze.
Every muscle in our body locked.
The fog shifted between the trees.
And then a wolf stepped forward.
Grey.
Massive.
Still.
He didn’t snarl.
He didn’t crouch.
He simply watched.
Behind him, shadows moved through the mist.
More wolves.
Crescent Moon had already closed the circle.
Kara bared her teeth.
A low growl vibrated through our ches
