POV: Dante
The night air was cold, sharper than I remembered. The forest around Talon Pack hadn’t changed in all these years—the same towering pines, the same crisp, biting wind that whispered through the branches. But as I stood alone on the outskirts of the compound, staring into the dark expanse of trees, I felt the distance between who I’d been and who I was now.
I’d spent years convincing myself I didn’t miss this place. That I didn’t need it. That I could carve out a life for myself without Talon Pack, without the wolves who had turned their backs on me. But being here again, surrounded by their wary eyes and hushed whispers, I felt the weight of what I’d lost pressing down on my chest.
I leaned against a tree, the rough bark digging into my back, and let my eyes drift toward the
