Kara's POV
My heart pounded as I crouched behind a thick bush, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my nose. The Moonbane pack territory stretched out before me, so familiar yet so foreign now. Five years. Five long years since I'd last set foot here.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself, trying to ignore the trembling in my hands.
I'd trained for this, prepared for every scenario. But nothing could've readied me for the flood of emotions hitting me now. Memories flashed through my mind - happy ones, painful ones, all tangled up together.
A twig snapped nearby, jerking me back to reality. I held my breath as a patrol passed by, mere feet from my hiding spot.
"Did you hear about the Alpha?" one of the wolves said, his voice low.
The other wolf snorted. "Which rumor? There's a
