*Aria*
Maps were liars.
On parchment, the distance from Blackmoon Manor to the northern border was a handful of inches, a neat curve of river meeting a thick black line, a cluster of little inked trees and a tiny X
In reality, it was miles of forest and patrol routes, scent lines, and unspoken rules. Wolves on constant watch. Elders who liked to know exactly where the cursed Alpha’s Luna was at all times.
I stood in front of the big wall map in Lucian’s war room, fingers hovering just shy of the ink, and felt the lie of those inches like an itch under my skin.
Alone, I might have slipped out.
In my old life—the one where I was more shadow than person—I’d learned all the quiet paths in and out of my parents’ estate. Which floorboards didn’t creak, which windowsills were narrow but pas
