Nyx felt it before the land moved.
A quiet shift beneath her feet.
Soft.
Familiar.
She paused at the edge of the clearing, her gaze lifting toward the forest line. The morning air was cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and newly turned soil, but something beneath it called to her.
Her wolf stirred.
She was alert but not defensive.
She felt a familiar Warmth.
Nyx frowned slightly.
“That’s new,” Ronan muttered beside her, noticing the way she had gone still.
She didn’t answer.
Her attention remained on the trees.
The forest had been restless before—testing, choosing, deciding who could pass.
Now—
It felt… expectant.
Like it already knew who was coming.
The leaves shifted.
A low ripple passed through the branches.
Then the trees began to move.
The opening formed slowly
