Sage POV
I could hear the wind. It brushed through the trees like whispers from a world that no longer wanted me. The forest stretched endlessly ahead, shadows were thick, the scent of damp soil and fallen leaves choked the air.
I moved slowly at first, cautious. My limbs weren’t entirely mine. They obeyed, but there was a delay—like my beast and I weren’t completely synced. Still, I kept moving.
A snap echoed through the woods. I froze and my ears twitched, nostrils flared. I heard footsteps.
Far… but not far enough.
I turned my head toward the east. There it was again. A shuffle. A crunch. The faint rustle of paws dragging over dry leaves. I sniffed the air. That scent—bittersweet and sharp like aged pine and copper.
Malrick. And he wasn’t alone.
I backed into the shade of a large tree and crouched low. My claws sank into the soft earth as I flattened my frame. They were closer now—still maybe half a mile off, but gaining. I heard their voices echo in my head as they spoke through
