Miranda
The moon had risen high over the Stonewood Passage, but Miranda hadn’t moved in hours.
She stood at the edge of the ancient grove, hands clasped tightly behind her back, eyes fixed on the shimmer of protective wards that hummed through the trees. To the outside world, this place was just another forest clearing. But for Miranda, it was the only place she could breathe.
Because here—among the sacred roots of their ancestral land—no one watched. No Council. No spies. No lies.
Just the truth.
And the truth was—
She was afraid.
⸻
Zara was awakening.
Too fast. Too soon.
Miranda had felt it in the pull of the ley lines three nights ago. The earth itself had trembled with the ripple of suppressed power. It had called out to her like a ghost begging to be freed.
Zara’s wolf.
A
