The forest between Moonrise and Dawn Veil was a place of its own, neither owned nor claimed by anyone, but shared by all. It was a wild place, where ancient oaks arched overhead and moonlight pooled in silvered hollows. Tonight, as Aria Hartfield walked alone through the woods, the world around her was still, save for the soft sounds of rain-damp earth and the whisper of wind through the leaves. She had set out at dusk, restlessness gnawing at her—something deep inside pushing her into the quiet wilderness, away from the noise of the pack and the rumours that clung to her every step.
The cool night air brushed against her face as her boots pressed softly into the mossy path. The land was familiar to her; the forest was thick with memory—childhood laughter echoing through the trees, the st
