Mark’s POV

The forest was quiet, too quiet. Every sound that had once told me where the hunters moved now felt muted, almost hesitant. I crouched beside Rissa, hand brushing against hers to steady her without asking. She didn’t pull away, but I could feel the tension radiating from her like heat from a stone.

The hunters were kneeling. All four. Their presence was impossible to ignore, even without movement. Their silence screamed ownership, power, expectation. And the thread connecting ...