Brooks:
The sky had shifted into deep shades of indigo by the time I made it back to our house. The moon hung high, casting a silver glow over the land. The place was quiet—everyone had long since gone to bed. Normally, I’d have been back hours ago, but tonight had been... different.
I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me as I exhaled. My body was exhausted from the long patrol, but my mind was anything but. It was tangled in thoughts of her.
Hattie.
The small wolf I had found in the woods.
I had no idea why I stayed so long, talking to her like I’d known her for years. We spoke about everything and nothing—trading small stories without giving away too much. It was clear she was running from something, just as it was clear she wouldn’t tell me what. But I didn’t push. I co
