Cold air brushed against my skin as dawn crept slowly across the forest.
The first pale light of morning filtered through the tall pines, turning the frost on the ground into faint glittering shards. The forest was quiet, but not empty. Beneath the silence, I could hear movement, breathing, shifting, the low murmur of wolves beginning to wake.
Three months ago, the sound of so many rogues gathered in one place would have meant chaos.
Now it meant something different.
I crouched beside the dying embers of a small fire pit, poking the ash with a stick until a faint glow returned. The warmth spread slowly through the cold air. Around me, a handful of wolves stirred beneath rough blankets and makeshift shelters built from branches.
Not a pack.
Not yet.
But no longer scattered rogues eit
