Dawn came slow and colorless, the kind that made the world feel half-alive.

I hadn’t slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the ridge, smelled smoke and pine and him.

When I rose, the room was cold — frost crusting the windowpanes, air sharp enough to sting. I strapped on my leathers, tied my blades, and told myself the shaking in my hands was just from the cold.

It wasn’t.

The bond pulsed quietly beneath my skin, a second heartbeat. I hated it — the way it made me feel connected to something I should want dead.

When I stepped outside, Kane was already waiting.

He always knew when I was about to do something dangerous. Maybe that’s why he found me in the first place.

“You look like hell,” he said, eyes sweeping over me.

“Didn’t sleep,” I muttered.

He raised a brow. “Bad dreams or bad conscience?”

“Both.”

Kane chuckled, low and rough. “That’s how you know you’re still human under all that steel.”

I didn’t answer. The cold mist curled around us, thick with unspoken things.

Finally, he said quietly, “Whatever you’re feeling out there — keep your head. Don’t let ghosts drive your hand.”

I froze. “You think I’m seeing ghosts?”

“I think you’ve got more fire in you than most, and sometimes fire burns the wrong things.” His gaze softened. “Just remember, not every battle is meant to be won by teeth.”

For a moment, I wanted to tell him everything — the scent, the bond, the name that burned in my blood like a curse. But the words stayed trapped. If I said them aloud, they’d be real.

So, I just nodded, turned away, and called my team.

________________________________________

Mara joined first, quiet as always, her red braid swinging behind her. Ryn and Elias followed — both solid, loyal, and good in a fight. We’d bled together more than once.

“You sure about this?” Mara asked as we moved through the trees. “Kane’s sending his best, but something feels off.”

“Everything feels off lately,” I said. “We stay low, we move fast. In and out before dark.”

We followed the old trails, ones half-swallowed by moss and time. The deeper we went, the stronger the air tasted — metallic, wild, humming with old magic.

Nightbane territory wasn’t just forest. It was alive, pulsing underfoot like it recognized me.

Each step south made the bond stronger, until I could feel it brushing against the edges of my mind — like fingers against glass.

Mara glanced over. “You feel that?”

I swallowed. “Just the wind.”

Lie.

The truth was clawing at my throat. Every instinct screamed that he was close — not seen, not heard, but felt.

________________________________________

We reached the ridge by dusk. The sigil carved into the tree was fresher now — as if someone had come back to claim it.

Ryn crouched beside it, frowning. “Whoever marked this wasn’t hiding. This is a message.”

Elias nodded. “A warning.”

I barely heard them. The scent hit like lightning — smoke, pine, and something that cuts deeper than memory.

My wolf surged. My heart stuttered.

He’s here.

I turned sharply, scanning the dark beyond the ridge. The forest held its breath.

Nothing moved — but I could feel him. Like heat through winter air. Like a storm about to break.

________________________________________

“Lyra?” Mara’s voice snapped me back.

I blinked, realizing my claws had half-shifted, digging furrows into the dirt.

“Sorry,” I muttered, straightening. “Thought I saw something.”

Ryn looked uneasy. “Let’s move. Whatever this is, I don’t want to be here after dark.”

We retreated into the trees. But before I followed, I looked back one last time.

The air shimmered faintly — like a shadow moving behind the mist. A scent brushed past me, electric, raw. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

And then, just as quickly, it was gone.

________________________________________

That night, while the others slept, I stood watch beneath the trees. The moon hung low, silver, and watchful.

Somewhere beyond the border, he was awake too. I could feel it — his heartbeat matching mine across the dark.

I pressed my hand to my chest and whispered,

“This doesn’t change anything.”

But the wolf inside me only purred, low and knowing.

Because it already had.