The air was too still. No wind, no rustle of leaves, just the sharp, prickling silence that made every wolf’s hackles lift. Celeste caught Hunter’s eye across the narrow trail, a silent warning passing between them.

"They’re here." Luna’s voice rumbled low in her head. "And they think they’re clever."

Celeste’s fingers tightened on the hilt of her blade, eyes scanning the tree line. “Positions,” she murmured, the single word carrying through the mind-link like a whip crack. ...