Brie's POV
The morning light hits my face the moment I push through the boulders. Everything still smells too sharp, sounds too clear. I need to be back before anyone notices I was gone.
I count my steps to bring myself back. One, two, three, four, five...
The path back to the pack village stretches ahead. I keep my head low.
Jackling speaks inside my head. ‘We smell like rock and wind. That's good.’
“Stay quiet,” I whisper. “I don't need any more problems today.”
The trees thin out. I smell smoke from cooking fires. Voices rise in the distance. I walk faster with my shoulders tight.
Every sound makes me pause and a branch snaps behind me. I spin around. Nothing. Just a bird somewhere in the upper branches. I reach the edge of the village. People move between houses, baskets over ar
