The scent of thawing earth lingered in the air as spring settled fully into the valley. Snowmelt trickled down from the northern ridges, turning the streams silver and filling the forest with the soft hum of new life. For the first time in months, the trees were alive with birdsong again — and yet, beneath it all, the land still pulsed with something unseen.
It had been nearly three weeks since the earth last trembled. Three weeks since that deep, unsettling hum had risen from beneath the pack’s feet. And though everything seemed quiet, no one in Bloodstone truly believed the danger had passed.
Crystal walked the inner gardens of the pack house, one hand resting absently on her abdomen. The faint swell beneath her palm was small — just beginning to show — but to her, it felt monumental.
