Frozen air bit at her face when Sage opened her eyes. A long cry split the dark beyond the trees.
Laughter instead of crying. Strength replacing ache. Happiness rises. Victory settles in. Five hundred wolves howl, their joy echoing through the trees.
Eyes fluttered open. Above, the sky hung low, washed in pale gray. Light of early morning crept in without noise. Beneath her, layers gathered - folds of cloth, pelts thrown together the night before. A rough kind of comfort formed by hands in a hurry. Pain moved through her limbs slow and deep. Not sharp, but heavy. Each part of her seemed stretched past its limit, worked beyond reason, forced one step too far after exhaustion set in.
Yet life remained in her.
Felt them through the wires now - her Alphas. Near. Just beyond reach.
Her gaze shifted sideways.
