The Pacific Crest Trail unwound before them like a serpent slithering through the mountain wilderness, sometimes visible for miles ahead, other times disappearing into thick forest or vanishing among rocky outcroppings. Three days into their journey, and already the world of highways and buildings felt like a half-remembered dream—something glimpsed through fog, growing fainter with each step deeper into the wild.
Liam paused at the crest of a steep incline, his wolf form better suited to the terrain than his human body would have been. The afternoon sun filtered through ancient pines, casting dappled shadows across the forest floor. Behind him, the others rested in a loose formation that had developed naturally since leaving the reservation—Elena and Jimmy in partial bear shift taking up
