Dawn came without mercy.
Mist clung low to the forest floor, thick enough to soak into skin and fur alike. The boundary clearing lay silent except for the slow drip of moisture from the trees, each drop sounding too loud in the waiting hush. This place had been chosen for its neutrality, old ground where no pack held dominance and the earth remembered blood more than names.
I stood at the edge of the clearing, wrapped in a cloak that did nothing to stop the cold crawling up my spine.
Jax was already there.
He stood barefoot in the dirt, eyes closed, shoulders loose in a way that meant the opposite of calm. His shirt lay folded on a rock behind him, scars mapping his back like a history written in flesh. He was breathing slowly, deeply, grounding himself the way he always did before vio
