Cierra:
The field changed with every footstep that entered it. What had begun as a morning spar turned into a silent arena, the sort of hush that gathers when instinct warns that something more important than drills is about to unfold.
Wolves were sensitive to currents in the air—emotions, secrets, fractures in loyalty. They smelled it, felt it, even before a word was spoken. And now, they smelled me.
The sting of betrayal clung to my skin like the damp fog, sharp enough that I knew they’d catch it on the wind. My heartbeat wasn’t the only one drumming anymore; whispers stirred as more wolves filed into the training circle. Some stood still, eyes flicking between me, Dane, Alyssa, and Dominic. Others kept up the illusion of stretching or adjusting sparring gear, but their ears were ang
