The forest was quiet, but not peaceful. Every rustle of leaves sounded sharp, every snap of a twig felt like a warning meant for us alone. The air carried a heavy stillness, as if the shadows themselves were listening. The threads of the Moonbond pulsed along my wrist, tugging me forward while warning me back at the same time. My brothers felt it too. Their marks glowed faintly beneath their sleeves, their bodies tense as their eyes swept over the dark trees.
We had left Crescent Ridge before the pack could splinter around us. The Alpha’s warnings, the messenger’s whispers, the fear spreading through the wolves like wildfire. It was too much to ignore. If we did not confront the Shadow Alpha first, he would come for us. He already was.
Talon walked beside me, close enough that his warmth
