The night air trembled with a quiet no one could trust. The battle had ended days ago, yet the fortress of Shadowfang still felt restless. The wind carried the scent of ash and wild magic, and somewhere in the distance, wolves howled like ghosts mourning something lost.

Selene couldn’t sleep. The walls around her felt too heavy, the silence too sharp. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Kael’s face, not the ruthless Alpha who had chased her, but the shadow of the man she had once ...