ADRIAN
The forest was dipped in gold, sunset poured through the trees like honey, touching the leaves, setting the world aglow in a calm that didn’t quite reach me. Mist rolled over the ground at my feet, curling and shifting like the thoughts in my head. I stood at the edge of the meadow, listening to the quiet hum of the world before war.Hailey had called earlier said things with Azure were heating up again. That tension was mounting and sure, I should’ve been focused on the looming threat, on strategy, on preparing the pack for what was coming but my mind… my mind had gone somewhere else entirely.Turtela.The moment I laid eyes on her, something ancient and uncontrollable had shifted in me. I’d told myself it was instinct pack loyalty, protective reflex, whatever label made me feel sane
