I pressed myself against the cold stone wall, my fingers clutching the map like it was the only thing keeping me alive. My heart pounded in my chest, a drum of fear and panic. Every sound — a shifting shadow, the faint scrape of a shoe, the whisper of wind through the temple — made me flinch.
And then the shadow moved closer. My breath caught in my throat.
It was him. Alpha Leon.
His presence filled the space, cold and commanding, a weight pressing down on my chest. I wanted to run, but my legs felt like lead. My body refused to obey me. He looked down at me with eyes so sharp, so unyielding, it felt like they were cutting into my soul.
> “Time to go,” he said quietly, but every word carried a weight that made my stomach drop. “We have two weeks until your birthday… until the ritual
