The forest wasn’t quiet anymore.
Branches snapped, leaves rustled, and the air itself seemed to pulse with tension as the moon rose higher through the treetops. McKenna’s heart hammered against her ribs, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she stumbled backward, eyes locked on the shadows that moved between the trees.
Something was there.
Something alive.
And it wasn’t friendly.
She could smell it before she could see it—iron and damp earth, the metallic tang of old blood clinging to the air. Her wolf stirred under her skin, restless and alert. Her instincts screamed at her to run.
But before she could move, the thing stepped into view.
A pack guard.
Or what used to be one.
His eyes glowed an unnatural shade of amber, veins darkened like poison beneath his skin. He looked feral—r
