The forest stretched endlessly before Aria, shrouded in mist that curled between the trees like living breath. She pressed a hand against the bark of a twisted oak, her chest heaving from the run that had carried her deeper into the wild. Her ribs still ached faintly, though the healing energy she’d coaxed days ago dulled the pain.
For the first time in weeks, she was alone. No Lorien trailing her with his knowing smirk, no hunters breathing down her neck. Just the silence of the woods—and the pulse inside her that had grown too loud to ignore.
Her wolf.
It had always been there, buried beneath her skin, whispering in half-formed instincts. But now, it surged like a storm tide, clawing at the walls of her mind with urgency. Her vision sharpened, scents flooded her nose, and her heartbea
