The forest was eerily quiet, save for the crunch of dead leaves beneath my boots.
The night was dense, the air thick with tension, and the cold bit at my skin as I moved, eyes sharp, scanning the dark wilderness.
Alpha Rowan’s words echoed in my mind: Prove you're not a threat. Prove you're not a spy.
And this is me proving myself.
A rogue had been spotted just beyond the pack’s territory, terrorizing the borders.
My mission was to hunt down the rogue.
Rowan said if I pulled this off, his people would see I wasn't some danger to them. They'd see I could protect them, that I'd risk my life for them. He also wanted to see what I was really capable of.
If I could bring him down, maybe—just maybe—they’d stop looking at me like I was the enemy.
I crouched low, my breath shallow.
