POV: Dante
The anticipation of battle charged the air like static, prickling every sense. Elara had stationed us near the southern border, a place that Silas’s scouts had been testing for weeks. It was the weakest point, intentionally kept thinly defended as bait. Elara’s strategy was to draw Silas’s forces in, let them think they’d found an opening, only to strike back with overwhelming force. It was a bold plan, one that would test every ounce of trust and skill this pack had built in the past months.
As we waited, crouched among the trees, I could feel the tension in the wolves around me. Their breaths came shallow, eyes sharp, ears tilted to catch even the slightest sound. The younger wolves—Ash, Reed, and a few others—shifted with nervous energy, glancing toward me for reassurance.
