Summer settles over the pack lands like a held breath.
The air is thick, heavy with warmth and something else—something restless. Cicadas hum endlessly in the trees, their noise drilling into my skull as if they’re trying to shake something loose inside me. I wake every morning already tense, already aware of my body in ways I never used to be. Stronger. Faster. Sharper.
And angry.
Not the explosive kind. Not the kind that burns hot and fast. This anger simmers, coiled low in my stomach, patient. Waiting.
Chloe’s voice still echoes in my head from days ago. Rogue. The word doesn’t sting as much anymore. Not because it hurts less—but because something in me doesn’t care if it does.
I focus on training instead.
Every day, I push myself harder. I run farther into the fields bordering th
