Lorien POV
The pack had formed an impenetrable wall between us and the border, their bodies blocking any glimpse of the desolate no man’s land beyond. But I didn’t need to see the Fae to know they were there.
I could feel them.
Even without ever crossing a border before, their presence throbbed like static in the air an invisible current that crackled against my skin, setting every nerve alight as if a live wire had just kissed my veins.
Auren’s hand tightened around mine, still tucked securely in the crook of his elbow. I swallowed hard and forced myself to step forward. When the pack slowly parted, revealing the barren stretch of land between us and them, a cold wave of regret hit me, and I instinctively edged closer to Auren’s side.
This wasn’t a meeting. It was a standoff. Both si
