The boy’s words froze the breath in my chest.

“They’re coming.”

I crouched beside him, scanning the forest. The shadows were long, the wind sharp with the scent of blood and… something else.

Burnt fur.

Rot.

Fear.

“Who’s coming?” I whispered.

He shook his head, tears streaking the dirt on his cheeks. “Bad wolves.”

My stomach twisted.

Rogues.

“Can you move?”

He bit his lip and tried to sit up but gasped and fell back, clutching his leg.

Fractured. Maybe worse.

I didn’t have time to think. If rogues were close, and they caught his scent…

“We have to hide.”

He blinked up at me, eyes wide and wild. “But I don’t know you.”

Fair.

I looked like a ghost, skin bruised, hair a mess, my dress little more than tattered cloth.

“My name is Erica,” I said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to help.”

He hesitated, then gave a shaky nod.

I lifted him gently, gritting my teeth as his weight settled in my arms. He was small, but every muscle in my body screamed in protest.

Still, I carried him.

Because I had to.

Because no one had carried me.

I found shelter in a hollow tree near the creek.

Barely big enough for two, but it was hidden and dry.

I set the boy down carefully and used the last of my sleeve to wrap his leg. He winced, but didn’t cry.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Ren.”

“Ren, where’s your pack?”

His eyes flicked away. “Gone.”

My heart sank. “All of them?”

He nodded slowly. “Ambushed last night. I ran. I didn’t mean to. I just… I got scared.”

Tears welled in his eyes again.

I swallowed hard. “You did the right thing. You survived.”

He didn’t answer.

Outside, the forest quieted. Too quiet.

Even the birds had stopped singing.

I pressed my ear to the bark.

Footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate.

I pulled Ren close, one hand over his mouth, the other ready to fight.

The smell hit me next.

Rotten meat.

Matted fur.

Rogue.

He passed by the tree, tall and thin, bones jutting from his skin like knives. His eyes were glassy, glowing faintly red, lips twisted into a snarl.

He sniffed the air.

My pulse pounded in my ears.

Ren trembled in my arms, but stayed quiet.

The rogue paused. Turned toward our tree.

I held my breath.

Please, no. Not now. Not again.

A crack of thunder rumbled overhead

then a crash in the distance.

The rogue’s head snapped toward the sound.

Another scent must’ve caught his attention.

He ran, limbs jerking, deeper into the trees.

I didn’t move until I could no longer hear him.

Then I exhaled, slowly, and rested my forehead against the bark.

That was too close.

We stayed in the hollow tree until night.

I told Ren stories to keep him calm.

Ones my mother used to tell me before the war, before everything turned to ash.

He listened with wide eyes, chewing on a piece of root I’d dug up earlier.

“Was it true?” he asked. “The story about the moon goddess turning into a wolf to save her mate?”

I smiled faintly. “That’s what they say.”

He leaned against me, eyelids drooping. “I hope she saves you too.”

My throat tightened.

I didn’t reply.

Ren slept.

I didn’t.

I watched the woods, every crack of twig, every gust of wind setting my nerves on edge.

My wolf was stirring again.

Still not speaking.

But watching.

Stronger now.

Awake.

I could feel her heartbeat inside me louder than before.

It matched mine.

And somewhere, deep in the bond that once tied me to Derek, I felt…

A pull.

It didn’t make sense.

He was miles away, surely.

Still leading the pack.

Still hating me.

But the bond wasn’t gone.

Frayed, yes. But not severed.

Why?

Unless he hadn’t rejected me.

Not fully.

Was that even possible?

In the morning, I left Ren in the tree and went to find food.

I followed the stream, catching a rabbit by some miracle and cleaning it with a rock and my nails.

No fire, though. Too risky.

I returned to the tree, only to find Ren staring wide-eyed at something just outside.

A shape stood in the clearing.

Female.

Cloaked.

Eyes glowing faint silver.

She didn’t move when I stepped out.

“Who are you?” I asked.

She tilted her head. “You’ve awakened.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Your wolf,” she said. “She stirs. She knows the truth.”

“What truth?”

But she didn’t answer.

Instead, she stepped forward and placed a small satchel at my feet.

“For the boy.”

Then she disappeared into the trees without a sound.

I opened the bag.

Dried meat. Clean cloth. A small vial of silverleaf salve.

Enough to keep us alive a little longer.

I looked up at the woods where she’d vanished.

Who was she?

Why did she help?

That night, I dreamed of Derek.

He stood in the pack house, rain pouring outside the windows.

Lyall was beside him.

Smiling.

Wearing my necklace.

Touching his arm like she owned him.

And he… let her.

No rage. No guilt.

Just cold acceptance.

The dream shifted.

The image of his dead parents appeared bloodied, eyes open and lifeless on the floor.

Lyall stood over them.

Smiling.

Holding the empty vial.

I woke up screaming.

Ren sat up fast, panicked.

I tried to calm him, but the dream clung to me like vines.

Was it just a dream?

Or

A memory?

No. I hadn’t been there.

But it felt real.

Like my wolf had shown me something she’d seen.

Something that had been hidden.

Lyall.

She was my best friend.

My sister in every way but blood.

She couldn’t have…

Could she?

And if she had…

Why?

The next day was quiet.

Too quiet.

Ren slept most of it, feverish from his injury.

I tended to him with the salve.

But my mind spun.

Why would Lyall frame me?

What did she gain?

Unless… unless she wanted what I had.

The title.

The mate.

The pack.

Derek.

A sick feeling twisted in my gut.

Has she always wanted him?

Has she always envied me?

I thought back so many moments I’d brushed off. Her hesitation when I told her about the mate bond. The way she’d change the subject. The way she’d look at Derek when she thought I wasn’t watching.

I’d been blind.

So foolishly blind.

And now… I was here.

Alone.

While she was there.

With him.

The sun dipped below the trees.

Ren stirred and moaned.

His fever was worse.

He needed help.

Real help.

I couldn’t do this alone anymore.

I stepped out of the hollow, unsure of where to go when a sharp crack split the air.

A twig.

Then another.

I turned fast, heart racing.

Shapes moved between the trees.

Five. Maybe six.

Not rogues.

Too quiet. Too coordinated.

Then I saw the emblem stitched onto one of their sleeves.

Shadow Pack.

And in front of them… leading the way…

Lyall.

She stepped out from behind the trees like she belonged there.

Confident.

Perfect.

Her golden curls were pulled back in a loose braid, her leather jacket spotless, her boots clicking on the rocks like she wasn’t standing in the middle of a cursed forest.

And those eyes…

Once warm and familiar.

Now cold.

Calculating.

“Erica,” she said, voice smooth as ever. “You look… alive.”

The warriors behind her said nothing, but I saw the way they shifted hands near their weapons, eyes watching me like I was dangerous.

I clutched the tree behind me, my body still sore, my arms trembling.

Ren was inside. I had to protect him.

“What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Lyall smiled and took a step forward. “I came to help you.”

I laughed, bitter and sharp. “Like you helped me at my trial?”

Her expression didn’t flicker. “I didn’t have all the information then.”

My nails dug into the bark. “And now you do?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Silence stretched between us, thick as fog.

“Then say it,” I whispered. “Say you know I didn’t kill them.”

She hesitated.

That was all I needed to know.

“You still think I did it,” I said, voice cracking. “You came here to what, bring me back in chains? Finish what the Council started?”

“No,” she said gently, stepping closer. “I came because Derek asked me to.”

The breath left my lungs.

“What?”

Lyall’s gaze softened, and for a moment, I saw the girl I used to trust. “He’s not well, Erica. He’s… different. Angry. Haunted. He asked me to track you. He said he needed answers.”

Answers?

After tossing me out like garbage?

I shook my head. “He didn’t believe me then. He doesn’t get to now.”

“I’m not here to debate your guilt,” Lyall said. “I’m here because there are things happening that you don’t understand. And I think someone wants you dead.”

“I already know that,” I snapped. “I’ve been living with it.”

She glanced past me toward the hollow tree.

“Who’s with you?”

“No one.”

She raised a brow. “We saw two sets of prints.”

I stepped in front of the entrance. “He’s a child. Alone. Hurt. He’s none of your business.”

Lyall’s expression darkened. “The rogues have been targeting packs. Killing off stragglers and the weak. That boy might know something. He could lead them here.”

“I’m not handing him over.”

She studied me for a moment.

Then surprisingly she nodded. “Fine. We’ll stay nearby. Keep watch while you rest. If they come for you, we’ll be ready.”

I didn’t trust her.

Not even close.

But I didn’t have a choice.

Not with Ren burning up. Not with rogues stalking the woods.

I turned without a word and ducked back into the hollow.

Ren was awake but sweating. His skin was pale, eyes half-lidded with fever.

“They’re here,” he whispered. “The silver-eyed girl…”

I knelt beside him. “She’s not here to hurt you.”

“I don’t trust her,” he croaked.

“You shouldn’t,” I whispered back.

He tried to sit up, but I placed a hand on his chest. “Don’t move. Rest. I’ll be right here.”

Outside, I could hear the warriors moving setting up camp, talking in low voices. Lyall’s voice rang out in command, sharp and crisp.

Just like Derek’s used to.

My heart twisted.

What had happened to him?

Had he truly sent Lyall to find me?

Why now?

Why not when I was starving and alone and nearly eaten by rogues?

That night, I sat outside the hollow with a makeshift spear across my lap.

Lyall sat across the fire, her eyes locked on me.

The flames danced between us.

“I didn’t lie to you,” she said quietly.

I said nothing.

“I didn’t know what happened. But I always wondered…”

I finally looked up. “Wondered what?”

“If it was too perfect.”

My brows furrowed.

She leaned forward. “The deaths. The timing. The way the Council turned on you so quickly. How the poison was found in your room but not your scent on the bottle.”

I flinched.

“No one questioned it,” she continued. “No one wanted to. Not even Derek. It was easier to blame you.”

“Then why didn’t you speak up?”

She looked away. “Because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

A long pause.

“Of being right.”

Something in her tone made my wolf stir.

She was hiding something.

I stood. “You want to help me? Tell me the truth.”

Lyall looked up at me, her eyes shining in the firelight. “I think someone in the Council wanted the Alpha and Luna dead. And you were just… convenient.”

My stomach turned.

“You think it was a coup?”

“I think it’s bigger than that.”

“Then why come now?”

She hesitated again. “Because the same wolves who framed you… might be coming for Derek next.”

Ren worsened through the night.

His fever burned hotter, and his leg swelled.

I soaked a cloth and laid it on his head, whispering stories and prayers I didn’t believe in anymore.

At one point, he grabbed my wrist, eyes wide.

“Erica…”

“What is it?”

He opened his mouth.

And his voice changed.

Not deeper. Not his.

A whisper not meant for him.

“They watch from the shadows. The bond is broken but not undone.”

I jerked back.

“What?”

He collapsed into sleep again.

I stared at him, breath shallow.

My wolf was howling inside me now.

That wasn’t him.

Then who had spoken?

I stepped outside and found Lyall staring up at the moon.

“I need to know something,” I said.

She turned. “What?”

“Did Derek ever reject me?”

She blinked. “No.”

My chest tightened.

“Why not?”

Her eyes searched mine. “Because deep down… he didn’t want to.”

The next morning, Ren was gone.

Just gone.

The hollow was empty. The clothes were discarded. No blood, no trail.

Just a single mark etched into the bark outside.

A symbol.

Sharp lines. A circle broken in two.

Lyall stood beside me, staring at it.

“That’s not rogue work,” she whispered.

My knees gave out.

“Where is he?” I whispered.

And then, behind us

A scream.

High.

Young.

Ren.

The scream tore through the trees like a jagged blade.

Ren.

Panic shot through me like fire. My breath caught in my throat, and before I even realized it, my legs were moving fast. Trees whipped past, branches slicing across my arms and face, but I didn’t stop.

“Ren!” I shouted into the forest. “I’m coming!”

My wolf surged forward inside me, claws scraping against my bones, senses sharpening. Her panic matched mine,raw, wild, protective.

Behind me, I heard Lyall’s command bark through the air. “Fan out! Search every direction!”

The warriors moved quickly, their feet pounding the forest floor, but I didn’t stop to listen. I trusted no one with him. Not even Lyall.

My feet carried me through the thick trees, across a narrow stream, and up a mossy slope. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Then I saw him.

Slumped at the base of a gnarled tree in a small clearing, his tiny frame still, chest barely rising.

“Ren!”

I collapsed beside him, shaking his shoulders, brushing hair out of his damp face. His skin was cool and clammy. Too cool.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

He stirred with a weak groan, eyes fluttering open. “Erica… They touched me.”

I froze.

His eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

“They said… I’m not ready,” he whispered.

Then, suddenly, a flicker of light pulsed in his chest, faint, bluish-white, and gone in a blink.

“What was that?” I gasped.

But he had already passed out again.

Lyall appeared minutes later, breathless. Her sword gleamed with dew, her hair a tangled mess. She dropped to her knees beside me.

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” I snapped, pulling Ren closer. “But he said someone touched him. Someone with no scent.”

She paled. “No scent?”

I nodded. “His chest glowed, Lyall. This isn’t normal.”

She looked over her shoulder into the woods. “We have to get back. Now.”

Back at camp, Ren fell into a deep sleep. No fever. No pain. Just silence, as if nothing had happened.

Too silent.

He didn’t toss or turn. He didn’t even murmur. I sat beside him all night, my thoughts tangled with dread.

Lyall took the first watch across the fire, silent, withdrawn.

“What happened to him?” I finally asked.

She didn’t look at me. “I think he’s a Seer.”

I blinked. “That’s not possible.”

She gave me a tight glance. “It’s rare. But not impossible. Seers are born from death. Orphans. Survivors. Touched by something beyond our world. Sometimes the Moon Goddess. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes what?”

She hesitated. “Something older.”

A chill snaked down my spine. “What do they want with him?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the symbol carved into the tree...”

I nodded. “You recognized it.”

She looked me in the eye. “It’s the mark of the Hollow Order.”

I sucked in a breath. “You’re lying.”

“They were believed to be extinct,” she said. “But the rumors... secret rituals, wolves who reject the Moon Goddess, who practice forbidden magic…”

“I thought they were just legends.”

“They were real, Erica. And they’re back.”

I stood, pacing the edge of the camp. My hands trembled.

“Why would they come after Ren?”

“Because Seers can see them,” Lyall whispered. “Even when they have no scent.”

Later that night, I sat alone beside the fire.

The flames danced. Ren still didn’t stir.

My thoughts spiraled.

What if the Order had framed me?

What if someone had used wolfsbane not to kill the Alphas, but to cover something up?

And what if Ren was the key to exposing it?

A whisper echoed through the trees, faint and strange. I turned but saw nothing.

Then a voice familiar, warm, broken, filled my mind.

“He’s waiting.”

I fell into an uneasy sleep.

In my dreams, I stood in a grand hall of mirrors.

Each reflection of me was different.

In one, I wore a crown. In another, I bled from the chest. In another, I stood behind bars, hands clawed and eyes glowing silver.

And in the very last mirror… Lyall stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder, a dagger at my back.

I woke up gasping.

The fire had gone cold.

And Lyall and Ren were gone.

I tore through the camp, calling their names.

No answer.

My heart thundered as I scanned the trees.

Then I saw it fresh footprints, side by side. Not dragging. Willing.

“What did you do, Lyall?” I growled.

I followed them.

The trail led deeper into the forest, past the boundaries I swore never to cross again. I walked for over an hour before the trees parted into a hollowed clearing.

And that’s when I saw them.

Standing together.

Ren in the center, looking dazed. And beside him

Derek.

I stopped cold.

His back was to me, shoulders broad, his scent familiar even after all this time.

He turned slowly at the sound of my steps.

My breath caught.

He looked older. Tired. His eyes were shadowed. Haunted.

“Erica,” he said, voice rough. “You’re alive.”

I didn’t respond. My body locked up, emotions clashing in my chest rage, hurt, longing.

And then

Lyall stepped forward from behind him.

Smiling.

My stomach twisted.

She wore a silver pendant.

My mother’s pendant.

I remembered it well. She never took it off. It had been buried with her.

“How do you have that?” I demanded.

Lyall’s smile sharpened.

“You said you wanted the truth,” she said. “Here it is.”

She reached into her pocket.

And pulled out a small vial.

Glass.

Half full of silver-tinted liquid.

I staggered back.

Wolfsbane.

The same kind they’d found in the tea that killed Derek’s parents.

The evidence that had damned me.

My eyes locked with hers.

“You set me up.”

She tilted her head mockingly. “Did I?”

Derek watched silently, unreadable.

Ren looked confused, swaying slightly.

Lyall twirled the vial between her fingers like a toy.

“The Order needed a sacrifice,” she said calmly. “A distraction. And you… were perfect.”

“Why?” I asked, voice shaking. “Why betray me?”

“You were weak,” she said simply. “And too close to him.”

She glanced at Derek, and something flickered in her eyes.

Envy.

Possession.

Obsession.

“You’re lying,” I said.

She took a step toward me. “Am I? Who was there the night his parents died? Who brewed the tea? Who had access to the poison?”

My throat dried.

“You… You killed them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I saved him. From wolves who were going to name you as Luna. Do you think you were worthy of him? Of the Shadow Pack? Of the throne?”

My body trembled.

“Derek,” I whispered, turning to him. “You believe me, don’t you?”

He didn’t move.

His jaw clenched.

But his eyesoh, Goddess, his eyes were full of war.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said softly.

The pain was worse than claws.

Worse than exile.

Lyall smiled like she’d won.

“Don’t worry,” she purred. “You’ll have time to figure it out.”

Then she threw the vial at my feet.

It shattered.

And silver mist exploded into the air.

I choked as my wolf screamed in agony, my limbs going weak.

Lyall raised her hand.

And behind her, dark shapes moved through the trees.

Rogues.

No.

Not rogues.

Order wolves.

Their eyes glowed crimson.

And they surrounded us in silence.

CHAPTER 5: The Mark of Betrayal

The scream tore through the trees like a jagged blade.

Ren.

Panic shot through me like fire. My breath caught in my throat, and before I even realized it, my legs were moving fast. Trees whipped past, branches slicing across my arms and face, but I didn’t stop.

“Ren!” I shouted into the forest. “I’m coming!”

My wolf surged forward inside me, claws scraping against my bones, senses sharpening. Her panic matched mine,raw, wild, protective.

Behind me, I heard Lyall’s command bark through the air. “Fan out! Search every direction!”

The warriors moved quickly, their feet pounding the forest floor, but I didn’t stop to listen. I trusted no one with him. Not even Lyall.

My feet carried me through the thick trees, across a narrow stream, and up a mossy slope. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Then I saw him.

Slumped at the base of a gnarled tree in a small clearing, his tiny frame still, chest barely rising.

“Ren!”

I collapsed beside him, shaking his shoulders, brushing hair out of his damp face. His skin was cool and clammy. Too cool.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

He stirred with a weak groan, eyes fluttering open. “Erica… They touched me.”

I froze.

His eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

“They said… I’m not ready,” he whispered.

Then, suddenly, a flicker of light pulsed in his chest, faint, bluish-white, and gone in a blink.

“What was that?” I gasped.

But he had already passed out again.

Lyall appeared minutes later, breathless. Her sword gleamed with dew, her hair a tangled mess. She dropped to her knees beside me.

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” I snapped, pulling Ren closer. “But he said someone touched him. Someone with no scent.”

She paled. “No scent?”

I nodded. “His chest glowed, Lyall. This isn’t normal.”

She looked over her shoulder into the woods. “We have to get back. Now.”

Back at camp, Ren fell into a deep sleep. No fever. No pain. Just silence, as if nothing had happened.

Too silent.

He didn’t toss or turn. He didn’t even murmur. I sat beside him all night, my thoughts tangled with dread.

Lyall took the first watch across the fire, silent, withdrawn.

“What happened to him?” I finally asked.

She didn’t look at me. “I think he’s a Seer.”

I blinked. “That’s not possible.”

She gave me a tight glance. “It’s rare. But not impossible. Seers are born from death. Orphans. Survivors. Touched by something beyond our world. Sometimes the Moon Goddess. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes what?”

She hesitated. “Something older.”

A chill snaked down my spine. “What do they want with him?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the symbol carved into the tree...”

I nodded. “You recognized it.”

She looked me in the eye. “It’s the mark of the Hollow Order.”

I sucked in a breath. “You’re lying.”

“They were believed to be extinct,” she said. “But the rumors... secret rituals, wolves who reject the Moon Goddess, who practice forbidden magic…”

“I thought they were just legends.”

“They were real, Erica. And they’re back.”

I stood, pacing the edge of the camp. My hands trembled.

“Why would they come after Ren?”

“Because Seers can see them,” Lyall whispered. “Even when they have no scent.”

Later that night, I sat alone beside the fire.

The flames danced. Ren still didn’t stir.

My thoughts spiraled.

What if the Order had framed me?

What if someone had used wolfsbane not to kill the Alphas, but to cover something up?

And what if Ren was the key to exposing it?

A whisper echoed through the trees, faint and strange. I turned but saw nothing.

Then a voice familiar, warm, broken, filled my mind.

“He’s waiting.”

I fell into an uneasy sleep.

In my dreams, I stood in a grand hall of mirrors.

Each reflection of me was different.

In one, I wore a crown. In another, I bled from the chest. In another, I stood behind bars, hands clawed and eyes glowing silver.

And in the very last mirror… Lyall stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder, a dagger at my back.

I woke up gasping.

The fire had gone cold.

And Lyall and Ren were gone.

I tore through the camp, calling their names.

No answer.

My heart thundered as I scanned the trees.

Then I saw it fresh footprints, side by side. Not dragging. Willing.

“What did you do, Lyall?” I growled.

I followed them.

The trail led deeper into the forest, past the boundaries I swore never to cross again. I walked for over an hour before the trees parted into a hollowed clearing.

And that’s when I saw them.

Standing together.

Ren in the center, looking dazed. And beside him

Derek.

I stopped cold.

His back was to me, shoulders broad, his scent familiar even after all this time.

He turned slowly at the sound of my steps.

My breath caught.

He looked older. Tired. His eyes were shadowed. Haunted.

“Erica,” he said, voice rough. “You’re alive.”

I didn’t respond. My body locked up, emotions clashing in my chest rage, hurt, longing.

And then

Lyall stepped forward from behind him.

Smiling.

My stomach twisted.

She wore a silver pendant.

My mother’s pendant.

I remembered it well. She never took it off. It had been buried with her.

“How do you have that?” I demanded.

Lyall’s smile sharpened.

“You said you wanted the truth,” she said. “Here it is.”

She reached into her pocket.

And pulled out a small vial.

Glass.

Half full of silver-tinted liquid.

I staggered back.

Wolfsbane.

The same kind they’d found in the tea that killed Derek’s parents.

The evidence that had damned me.

My eyes locked with hers.

“You set me up.”

She tilted her head mockingly. “Did I?”

Derek watched silently, unreadable.

Ren looked confused, swaying slightly.

Lyall twirled the vial between her fingers like a toy.

“The Order needed a sacrifice,” she said calmly. “A distraction. And you… were perfect.”

“Why?” I asked, voice shaking. “Why betray me?”

“You were weak,” she said simply. “And too close to him.”

She glanced at Derek, and something flickered in her eyes.

Envy.

Possession.

Obsession.

“You’re lying,” I said.

She took a step toward me. “Am I? Who was there the night his parents died? Who brewed the tea? Who had access to the poison?”

My throat dried.

“You… You killed them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I saved him. From wolves who were going to name you as Luna. Do you think you were worthy of him? Of the Shadow Pack? Of the throne?”

My body trembled.

“Derek,” I whispered, turning to him. “You believe me, don’t you?”

He didn’t move.

His jaw clenched.

But his eyesoh, Goddess, his eyes were full of war.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said softly.

The pain was worse than claws.

Worse than exile.

Lyall smiled like she’d won.

“Don’t worry,” she purred. “You’ll have time to figure it out.”

Then she threw the vial at my feet.

It shattered.

And silver mist exploded into the air.

I choked as my wolf screamed in agony, my limbs going weak.

Lyall raised her hand.

And behind her, dark shapes moved through the trees.

Rogues.

No.

Not rogues.

Order wolves.

Their eyes glowed crimson.

And they surrounded us in silence.