The sun hadn’t fully risen when Jax and I slipped quietly out of the packhouse. The air was cold and sharp, carrying the smell of pine and earth. Even though the pack was on high alert, the borders were secure for now. Alpha Joseph and the warriors had taken positions, ready for any attack.
I glanced at Jax. His hair gleamed in the pale sunlight, his golden eyes scanning the trees around us. “Are you ready?” He asked quietly.
I nodded, even though my stomach was twisting with nerves. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Oakley is restless, though… he knows this place has secrets.”
Jax grinned faintly. “Then let’s make sure we find them first.”
We moved silently through the forest, following the directions Joseph had pieced together from scouts’ sightings and old maps. The ruins my mother had vis
