The wind howled through the narrow ravine, pulling at Xander’s cloak as he rode along the treacherous path. Above, the sky churned with a brooding storm, the thunder reverberating between the jagged cliffs. The far reaches of Moonrise territory had always been dangerous, but tonight, there was something different in the air—a suffocating pressure, a feeling of danger close at hand. Every muscle in the Alpha’s body tensed as he rode, instincts sharp and alert.
Xander had come seeking answers, following the scent of strange tracks on the border—footprints where no wolf from his pack should have been. Alone, as was often his way, he trusted his senses over the politics of the council. He needed to escape the weight of Aria’s return, the letter she had left still pressed to his heart, a silen
