We rode through the night, pushing the horses harder than was safe, driven by desperation and fear.
Finn stayed close beside me, his young face grim with pain. The wound in his shoulder had stopped bleeding, but I could see it in the way he held himself—every stride of his horse sent a jolt through him. He didn't complain. Didn't slow. Just kept riding, matching my pace, watching the darkness for threats.
The forest blurred past, shadows within shadows. My mind raced faster than my horse, spinning through possibilities, each worse than the last.
Caleb was back there, facing an enemy force with only a handful of warriors. If the Red Claw attacked in force before reinforcements arrived—
I couldn't finish the thought. Wouldn't.
We reached the pack territory as the first gray light of daw
