The sky had turned a bruised purple, thick with tension. Something had snapped in the air, like a thread pulled too tight and then cut loose. Maria stood on the ridge above the pack grounds, the wind tugging at her cloak, her instincts bristling.
Joseph and Luca joined her within seconds, both shirtless and breathless, their wolves just under their skin.
“You felt it too,” she said.
Luca nodded. “It’s him.”
Joseph clenched his jaw. “Xavier.”
The wards surrounding the territory had flickered minutes ago, long enough for something to slip in. Or perhaps… to cut something out.
Maria turned toward the trees, her eyes narrowing. “He’s made his move.”
_______________________________
Elsewhere, miles away beneath the roots of a hollow mountain, Xavier stood at the center of a dark ritual
