Riley POV
The moon sat heavy above the McKinnley estate, full and bright, painting the world in silver and shadow. It had been weeks since our training began — weeks of bruises, breathless drills, trembling awakenings, and nights spent learning how to survive the bloodline we were born into.
Tonight felt different.
The air buzzed.
The forest watched.
And something inside me stretched beneath my skin — my wolf restless, hungry, alive.
Alex walked on my left, her movements sharp and fluid, confidence beginning to settle into her bones. Mason stayed on my right, tense and alert, his wolf pushed so close to the surface I could practically hear its growl vibrating in the air.
David led the patrol, scanning the tree line with a predator’s eye. “Stay vigilant,” he murmured, voice clipped,
