Chapter Ten — The Stake
I felt it before I saw it.
The forest beyond the pack border swallowed sound differently, muffling the world behind me as though I’d stepped into another skin. The air was colder here, heavier with damp earth and moss, and every breath burned my lungs with unfamiliar freedom.
I didn’t stop running until my legs shook.
When I finally slowed, pressing a hand to a tree to steady myself, I dared to look back.
The pack grounds lay just beyond the rise — lights flickering between the trunks, movement restless and agitated. Shadows shifted where wolves patrolled, their shapes half-seen, half-imagined.
They knew.
A sharp c***k echoed through the night.
Wood splitting.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I turned fully then, climbing higher onto the ridge until I cou
