The night air clung to Ember Dusk Hale like damp silk as she stood at the edge of the Bloodstone training grounds, the forest beyond whispering with late-summer insects. Moonlight filtered through the canopy in pale ribbons, catching on the silvered tips of her dark hair. Everything felt too sharp tonight—the scents, the sounds, the pulse beneath her skin.
Vespera stirred.
Something’s wrong, her wolf murmured, a low velvet voice threaded with unease.
Ember pressed her palm to her sternum where the bond burned—hot, insistent, demanding. It hadn’t always felt like this. When she and Elowen first connected, it had been gentle. Warm. Like finding a familiar melody in a crowded room. Now it was a wildfire, racing through her veins with no patience, no restraint.
She inhaled slowly, groundin
