The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, crisp and biting, carrying whispers of rituals long forgotten by the outside world. Tonight the pack had gathered here not for war or celebration, but for healing. Mara had insisted on it, her wise eyes seeing the shadows that still clung to my soul despite all we had won. The moon blessed power in my veins had awakened fully, but the scars of my past, the toxic wounds from Damien and Lisa, festered like poison I could not shake.
We walked the narrow path in silence, Victor's hand firm in mine, his presence a steady anchor against the storm brewing inside me. The pack followed in a loose circle, their footsteps soft on the frozen ground, breaths misting the night air. Torches flickered in their hands, casting long shadows that danced lik
