Jagged stone, pulsing with sickly green light. The air vibrated with magic, thick and wrong, like the forest itself was holding its breath.

Evan felt Jadon’s pain again sharp, cold, invasive. He stumbled, catching himself on a tree.

A warrior rushed to him. “Alpha?” “She’s hurting,” Evan growled, voice raw. “He’s hurting her.”

The bond flickered weak, strangled, desperate. Evan’s wolf snarled inside him.

“We’re out of time.” He pushed forward, breaking into a sprint. ...