The forest was quiet, too quiet. Every step McKenna took felt like it echoed for miles, the sound of crunching leaves beneath her boots sharp against the still air. She didn’t know how long she’d been walking anymore—minutes? Hours? The sun had begun to dip lower behind the treetops, washing everything in the soft, golden hue of late afternoon.
Something about the silence didn’t sit right. It wasn’t the peaceful kind of quiet. It was thick. Heavy. The kind of quiet that waited for something to happen.
McKenna slowed her pace, her pulse quickening as her instincts stirred. Her wolf pressed against the surface of her mind, ears pricked and restless.
> Something’s here.
Her gaze darted around the clearing she’d wandered into—a wide open space ringed with moss-covered stones and gnarled
