AYLA
It was nearly nightfall when I reached the edge of Elkmoon territory.
The forest shifted here—quieter, heavier. The air was laced with the scent of pine and damp earth, but underneath it was something sharper, something feral. Wolf.
I stepped past the boundary stones.
A growl broke the silence.
“Who are you? What do you want?” A tall guard stepped into view from between the trees, his posture tense, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
I didn’t flinch.
“I came here to meet Lyra,” I said, my voice steady despite the thundering of my heart. “And your Alpha. She is expecting me.”
"Oh, is she?"
"Yes."
The guard’s gaze swept over me, wary and assessing. I must’ve looked half-wild after the journey—mud-smeared boots, wind-tangled hair, exhaustion clinging to my bones. But I stoo
