KAEL'S POV
The howl lingered in the night, long and low, carrying on the Frostfang wind like a shiver crawling up my spine.
I crouched at the cave mouth, snow stinging my face, golden eyes scanning the treeline below. My wolf prowled under my skin, hackles raised, instincts clawing to tear whatever dared approach her.
Behind me, the fire crackled softly. Ayla lay on the cloaks, silver runes faint against her skin, each flicker of light from the fire catching in the strands of her ash-brown hair. Every few minutes, her fingers twitched, as if she were chasing something in a dream—or running from it.
The bond pulsed faintly in my chest, weak but alive. I anchored myself to it like a lifeline.
Rylan approached silently, his knives already in hand. He stared out into the darkness beside me, his amber-violet eyes hard. "You feel it too."
"Yes," I said, my voice a low growl. "And if I can feel it, every wolf in the Frostfangs can."
