Return to the Heartland
The forest had changed in five years. Or maybe Caleb had. The trees still whispered secrets with the wind, the earth pulsing beneath his boots with the thrum of pack magic, but everything felt... distant. Muted.
Beside Rowan, Caleb walked in silence, the hood of his worn jacket pulled low over his brow. He moved like a shadow—graceful, alert, untouchable. Nothing like the boy Rowan remembered. Nothing like the omega who used to light up whenever Rowan so much as looked at him.
Rowan had tried to speak once, just after they crossed the border into Nightclaw territory. Caleb’s jaw had tightened, his eyes flicking over like he’d expected a trap. After that, Rowan stayed quiet. Caleb hadn’t spoken a word since they left the outpost where they first found the map to t
