Chapter 147

Caleb POV

The forest didn’t settle after she vanished.

If anything, it grew louder—branches creaking, distant howls cutting through the night like warnings instead of songs. My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, instincts screaming that the game had changed.

I turned back to the guards. “Double the watch. No one enters or leaves without my command.”

They bowed and moved quickly, tension sharp in every step.

Only when the courtyard was nearly empty did I look back ...