The sun hadn’t yet broken the horizon when the small convoy of Bloodstone wolves set out. The air was sharp and brittle, heavy with the scent of thawing frost and the faint musk of pine. Horses snorted, their breath clouding in pale ribbons, while wolves padded alongside in their human forms, traveling light but armed.
Crystal rode near the front, her pale cloak drawn tight against the morning chill. Bree stirred faintly beneath her skin, restless and watchful. The wolf had been uneasy since dawn, her instincts bristling at every distant sound — as if the earth itself were holding its breath.
Behind her, Lizzy sat astride her horse, one hand on the reins, the other brushing the pendant around her neck — a small moonstone charm that Bane had pressed into her palm before they’d left. Her e
