The forest never felt quiet after that encounter.
Even as the sun rose, weak and pale behind a curtain of gray clouds, I felt the weight of every unseen eye pressing against our camp. The rogue wolves moved with their usual efficiency, yet I could sense a tension threading through the air, invisible but undeniable.
I stood near the edge of the clearing, letting the frost bite at my fingers as I watched the treeline. Every branch, every shadow seemed to twitch with purpose, as if the forest itself were holding its breath.
Tarek approached silently, hands tucked into his cloak. “You’ve been standing there a long time,” he said. His voice was calm, but I could hear the edge beneath it.
“I’m thinking,” I replied. My eyes didn’t leave the forest.
“About them?”
I didn’t need to answer.
Th
