The forest was dense, the towering trees swallowing every sound except the rapid crunch of leaves beneath Kael’s boots. Kael’s grip on Nia’s wrist was firm, pulling her through the trees as she stumbled behind him, breathless and weak.
“Just a little more,” he urged, his voice tight with urgency.
Nia didn’t respond, she was too busy focusing on not collapsing. Her legs ached, her body still reeling from everything it had endured. The air around them was thick with tension, crushing against her chest.
The line of trees broke ahead, the scent of the bordering territory reaching Kael’s nose. Almost there.
And then—a growl.
Low. Dangerous. Too close.
Soon, Nia felt it—the immediate shift in the atmosphere. The silent presence of something—or someone—lurking in the darkness.
Kael stopped
