ALICIA
The silence didn’t last long. Not because of noise, but because of awareness.
The moment Victoria’s footsteps faded, I felt it again. That low, humming heat beneath my skin, coiling tighter, more deliberate now that it knew I was listening. The sanctuary dulled the edge, but it didn’t silence the call. It couldn’t. This wasn’t an illness to be cured. It was a tide meant to be guided.
'It’s starting,' Skylar said quietly, 'not alarmed, but alert. Not the peak. The rise.'
I opened my eyes and stared at the runes glowing faintly beneath me. 'How much time?'
'Hours. Maybe less. Your body is waking up faster than before.'
Of course it was.
I pushed myself to my feet, steady despite the warmth spreading through my veins. My senses were sharper now, too sharp. I could hear wolves m
