Grace
The forest felt too quiet after dawn’s violence.
Grace sat close to the fire Kaleb had built, her knees tucked to her chest, her eyes fixed on the steady flames. The smoke curled upward, sharp and bitter, but even that couldn’t mask the copper tang of blood that clung to the air. It was everywhere—on Kaleb’s skin, in the snow, in the memory of snarls and screams that still echoed in her bones.
Kaleb rested against the rock beside her, his wounds bound as best as she could manage. His breathing had steadied, but every so often his jaw would clench, his body stiff with pain he refused to admit. He hadn’t spoken much since the fight. Since the trial. Since the moment he’d nearly torn Rylan apart in front of the pack.
Grace stole a glance at him, her chest tightening. He looked exhau
