The moment Lyla took her first step away from the pack, she felt it.

A shift in the air.

A silent severing of something that had bound her to them for as long as she could remember.

It wasn’t just a choice.

It was a point of no return.

The Marked Ones moved ahead of her, their steps silent against the forest floor.

The pack stood behind her, watching.

But they didn’t call for her to stop.

Not even Eli.

Especially not Eli.

Her chest tightened, but she kept ...