Chapter 22: The Northward Path
359 Words
The dawn broke over the mountains in shades of bruised purple and cold gold. Kaelen was already awake, standing at the foot of the bed as he buckled his leather armor, his muscles rippling under the dim light. The peaceful intimacy of the night was gone, replaced by the sharp, focused energy of a predator. He was preparing for a war he wasn't sure he could win.
"Stay with the elders, Aria," Kaelen said without turning around. His voice was a low, gravelly warning. "This hunt will be brutal. Silas is desperate, and a desperate Alpha is more dangerous than a starving one."
I sat up, the silver crown on the nightstand catching the morning light. "I can't stay behind, Kaelen. I felt something last night when Mark was at the gate. It wasn't just fear; it was a pull, like a silver thread stretching between my past and this mountain."
He turned then, his golden eyes searching mine with a mixture of love and frustration. "What do you mean? You're a human, Aria. You can't track him through the snow."
"The bond we share... it didn't just connect me to you," I explained, stepping out of bed and walking toward him until I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. "It awakened something in my own mind. Because I knew Mark so well, I can feel a 'ghost' of his presence. It’s like a cold vibration in the back of my head, leading me toward the darkness."
Kaelen stepped closer, his brow furrowed as he touched the silver pendant at my throat. "A tracking scent? If the Moon has gifted you this, then the danger is even greater than I thought."
"I see the path clearly," I insisted, my voice gaining strength. "He’s not heading for the village to hide. Silas is taking him to the Weeping Caves. They want to use Mark's human soul to bypass the pack's ancient wards."
Kaelen’s breath hitched. The Weeping Caves were filled with silver-dampened stone that blinded the senses of most wolves. If I could see through that darkness, I was the only one who could lead the pack safely.
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