Chapter Forty
The valley lay in uneasy calm, fog curling through the southern pass like smoke from an unseen fire. The aftermath of the previous skirmish left scorched earth, trampled grass, and the metallic tang of blood in the air. Wolves padded silently along the ridges, shifting between human and wolf forms with effortless grace. Lyra’s senses were stretched taut; every flicker of movement, every scent, every heartbeat from the pack pulsed through her, amplified by the bond.
Cain moved beside her, partially shifted, eyes black and sharp, muscles coiled like a spring. He could feel Elias before anyone else, a subtle disturbance in the bond, something that whispered beneath instinct itself. The fragment pulsed faintly in Elias’ mind, threading cold logic into every choice, every moveme
