(Aria's POV )
The wind changed first.
It slithered into the Hollow like a whisper, carrying the scent of something sharp and metallic, like blood before a storm. Kael felt it before anyone spoke, the wolf inside him going still, ears pricking. Outside, the forest groaned.
Jarek looked up from his post at the entrance. “You feel that?”
Kael’s gaze cut toward the mouth of the cave. “Yeah.”
Mira tightened the straps on her armor. “It’s here.”
“It” didn’t need a name. The shadow had no shape that could be captured by a single word. But the pack felt it like a second heartbeat in the ground, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Behind him, Aria stirred.
Kael turned immediately. She was sitting upright now, one hand pressed to the stone for balance, the other to her stomach. H
