The walk through the forest seemed to stretch endlessly, each step muffled by the thick carpet of moss beneath their boots. The silence pressed around them, broken only by the soft hum Nathan made as he nestled securely in Darius’s arms, his small fingers clutching at his daddy’s jacket.
The mist had deepened, wrapping around them in cool, shifting veils as they ventured farther into Silverblade territory. The familiar scent of pine needles and damp bark filled the air, mingled with faint traces of pack energy that whispered through the trees like echoes of the past.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy in golden shards, catching on floating specks of mist and illuminating the faint smile that ghosted over Elaine’s lips as she glanced around. Every bend in the path, every fallen branch,
