The forest around Silvercrest was unnaturally quiet.
Evelyn moved with calculated steps, her senses sharpened to every sound. A week had passed since the confrontation at the gathering hall—since Damien had stood before her and confessed, not just regret, but vulnerability. Yet, she hadn’t been able to respond the way she wanted. Too many things still hung in the air like smoke refusing to clear.
And now, someone was watching her.
She could feel it—not in a way she could explain, but in the way her wolf, Aria, tensed just beneath her skin. They weren’t alone.
"Who's there?" she called out, voice firm.
A shadow shifted in the trees ahead.
A familiar scent hit her nose—earth, iron, and something wilder.
Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "Ronan."
He stepped forward, emerging from the cover of t
