CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The air crackles with tension, an electric undercurrent that prickles the fine hairs on my arms. I can't see them yet, but I know they're there—the rival pack, hidden within the shroud of dusk that blankets the forest.
"Stay close," Roman's voice is a low growl, barely audible over the rustle of leaves and the whisper of the wind. His brown eyes scan the darkening woods with a sharpness that belies his calm demeanor. Brown hair falls into his face as he moves, a silent shadow among shadows.
We move in a tight formation, the Stone Pack united under Roman's quiet command. But the serenity is deceptive, a charade that shatters when the first howl pierces the night. It's guttural, filled with hunger and hatred, and it echoes through the trees like a war cry.
"Here they c
