Aria’s POV
Between the heavy tension in the car and the fact that Damon and Drake couldn’t go five minutes without bickering, I was already regretting this trip.
The forest loomed ahead as we parked at the trailhead, the late afternoon sun casting long, eerie shadows. I grabbed my pack, trying to steady the nerves bubbling under my skin.
Drake, of course, decided now was the perfect time to lighten the mood. “Well, isn’t this cozy?” he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
I shot him a look. “Cozy isn’t the word I’d use.”
Damon, shutting the car door with more force than necessary, cut in. “Can we focus, or are you planning on cracking jokes all the way to a cursed forest?”
Drake raised his hands in mock surrender. “Relax, Alpha. Just trying to keep things light.”
“Too bad,” Dam
