Alena's POV

I stand at the edge of the clearing, the golden hue of dusk settling like a crown upon the dense forest that cradles our pack’s territory. In the dimming light, my eyes are drawn to a familiar oak, its bark scarred with the initials I once carved alongside his—‘A + J,’ a youthful promise now etched into the unforgiving wood. My fingers graze over the healed wound on the tree, a stark contrast to the one still raw in my heart.

“Stupid tree,” I murmur to ...