Kael
The sun rose warm and golden, its light spilling over the treetops as if the forest itself had been set aflame.
I had not moved all night.
My back ached from leaning against the oak, but the ache was nothing compared to the restless pounding of my wolf beneath my skin. Every minute spent waiting had been its own kind of torment.
But now, with the day fully born, the town began to stir. The faint murmur of voices drifted toward me. Doors creaked open, wooden wheels rolled across cobblestones, chickens clucked in protest as they were carried into pens.
It was time.
I pulled my cloak tighter, the hood shadowing most of my face. Humans weren’t foolish, but neither were they quick to suspect what moved among them. I would pass as one of their own easily enough—as long as I kept my wo
