The clearing remained frozen in silence long after Seraiya disappeared into the trees. The pack stood motionless, as if afraid that even a breath might shatter the moment. Frost glittered where her paws had carved deep grooves into the earth, and the scent of blood still hung sharp in the air.
Kyle lay in the center of the circle, his grey fur matted with dirt and streaked with crimson. His sides heaved with ragged breaths, each one a reminder of how close he had come to losing everything—and how mercifully he had been spared.
Maddie was the first to move.
She stepped forward hesitantly, her boots crunching softly over the frost. Zack followed close behind, ready to pull her back if Kyle so much as twitched. But the defeated wolf didn't move. His amber eyes stared at the ground, unfocus
