~Kaida Orion POV~
The moonlight spilled across the empty courtyard, painting the stone path in silver. My footsteps echoed as I crossed it, each sound ringing sharp in the night air. The scent of damp earth clung to the breeze, but there was something else too faint, metallic, and wrong.
I stopped and my breath caught. The wind shifted, and the smell grew stronger, like blood.
My hand tightened around the edge of my cloak. For a moment, my mind flashed back to that night — the forest, the sudden hiss of an arrow cutting the air, Lupus's body jerking forward, his eyes wide in shock before the shadows swallowed him. It had been months, but the memory still hit like a blade to my chest.
I forced myself to move, following the scent until I reached the side gate.
