Henry’s POV
We rode at dawn, past the fields where the grass still held dew, beneath a sky too pale to be morning. The air smelled of wet earth and wood smoke. Elijah sat to my right, eyes closed, breathing steadily in the rhythm of his wolf. I sat on my left, mind racing faster than my horse’s hooves. We were heading toward the borderlands where no two maps agreed, to meet someone who could unravel the strangest mystery I’d ever faced: why a dark wolf would kidnap Leila.
Our informant was known only as the Seer. She had once served the Crescent Council, advising alphas on matters of spirit and omen. Some said her visions came at a terrible price; others whispered she had made pacts with the moon goddess herself. We found her in a tiny cabin set among ancient oaks, gnarled roots choking
