The forest was too quiet.
Lyra felt it before anyone else — a stillness that didn’t belong to Shadowpeak. Her wolf paced beneath her skin, ears pricked, tail stiff. Mira walked beside her on the narrow trail, humming softly, but even she fell silent when Lyra stopped abruptly.
Mira frowned. “Lyra?”
Lyra’s voice was barely a whisper. “Something’s wrong.”
Before Mira could respond, a howl cut through the trees — sharp, panicked, close.
Kayden.
Lyra didn’t think. She ran.
Branches whipped past her, the forest blurring as her wolf pushed her faster. Mira sprinted behind her, breathless. The howl came again — not a call, not a command.
A warning.
Lyra burst into a clearing and froze.
Kayden stood surrounded by four Crescent Ridge wolves. His aura flared, eyes glowing bright blue, but
