The howl came just after noon.
It was not from within the estate. It rolled in from beyond the mountains, long and deliberate, carrying power with it. Every wolf in the Montenegro lands froze. Conversations stopped. Footsteps slowed.
I felt it in my spine first. A deep vibration, like something ancient had struck the earth and the echo had found my bones.
Jax stiffened beside me in the corridor. His head tilted slightly, eyes unfocused as he listened to something I could not fully hear yet.
“That’s not a scout,” he said. “That’s a declaration.”
My stomach tightened.
“From who?”
He looked at me then. “You already know.”
The estate shifted into motion. Guards moved faster. Doors opened and closed. Wolves gathered in the outer courtyard, drawn by instinct more than orders.
Derek foun
