Ryker POV
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The forest is too quiet.
Ryker feels it the moment his boots hit the ground — the unnatural stillness, the way the air hangs heavy, the way even the wind seems to hold its breath. His wolf prowls beneath his skin, restless, furious, barely contained. Every heartbeat echoes with one truth:
Elena is close.
And she is hurting.
He can feel her pain like a bruise pressed against his soul, a throbbing pulse that tightens his chest and sharpens his senses. The bond is weak, flickering, but alive. And that alone is enough to ignite something primal inside him.
Kai moves up beside him, scanning the trees. “We’re a mile out. Patrols will be thick.”
Ryker doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. His focus is locked on the faint, trembling pull of the bond — the thread that leads him
