"If I wanted to survive, I had to push harder than ever before."
The mysterious intruder's words haunted me through the night like ghosts refusing to rest, echoing in the darkest corners of my mind long after his shadow had melted back into the forest beyond the Academy's protective walls. We'll speak again very soon, Elara. Sleep proved as elusive as morning mist, leaving me tossing restlessly on my narrow dormitory bed while my wolf paced endlessly beneath my skin—hungry for action, desperate for answers I didn't possess.
Darius wasted no time translating concern into action.
The very next morning, before the first pale fingers of dawn had fully painted the eastern sky, heavy boots echoed through the dormitory corridors. My chamber door rattled under forceful knocking that brooked no
