The days following the council’s visit moved slowly, like the calm after a storm—or the deep breath before another. But peace, Evelyn knew, was never meant to last in their world.
By the third morning, the skies darkened. Not with rain, but with something more ancient. A scent clung to the wind—burnt ash and old blood. Even Aria paced restlessly within her, fur bristling at a warning only wolves of ancient lineage could feel.
“Do you feel that?” Evelyn asked Kendall as they met near the training ring.
Kendall narrowed his eyes toward the east. “Yeah. It’s coming from the border hills. Smells... wrong. Like dark magic.”
Before Evelyn could speak, a young scout burst into the clearing, panting. “Alpha Evelyn! Alpha Damien—there’s a disturbance at the boundary rune stones! It’s... you nee
