*Chapter 15: The Hunt*
We found the first rogue track at dawn.
Three sets of prints cutting through the eastern ridge, heading toward the old hunting cabin on the border. Not trying to hide. Not even trying to be subtle. It was a message.
Kade called a scouting party of six. I insisted on going. He argued for ten minutes. I won.
“Not because you’re my mate,” he said as we moved out, voice low so only I could hear. “Because you’re the best tracker we have.”
I didn’t correct him. Let him have it.
The air was cold, sharp with pine and damp earth. Dew still clung to the grass, and the prints were clear. Two of the rogues were heavy, dragging their feet. The third moved light, deliberate. The leader, probably.
Kade held up a fist and we stopped. Ahead, the trees thinned out and the cabin
