(Rich’s POV)
The forest felt suffocating in its stillness, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath, waiting. I don’t know why I’d come out this far—maybe it was the weight of everything pressing on me, or maybe I just needed to get away from the ever-present tension back at the estate. I thought I was alone, just me and my thoughts, but the sudden shift in the air told me otherwise. Something was off.
Then I heard it—the unmistakable growl of a rogue, low and hungry. Before I could even react, a massive form lunged at me from the shadows, its eyes gleaming with madness. Its claws slashed at the air, and for a split second, I was sure I was dead.
But then—just as quickly—it was gone. A blur of motion, a shadow crashing into the rogue, knocking it to the ground.
Lysander.
H
