Chapter 41:
The moment Aria stepped out into the chill of twilight, she felt it low, guttural, and ancient.
A howl.
But not from within the Midnight Pack.
Not Bloodfang either.
This one was… older.
Her pulse quickened as the sound rolled over the mountains like a warning drum. The courtyard stilled around her. Warriors froze mid-spar.
The sentries on the spires raised their heads. Even Kael, fierce and ever-focused, tensed beside her as if something primal stirred in his bones.
“That howl,” Aria whispered, eyes scanning the forest's edge beyond the gates. “It’s not one of ours.”
Kael’s hand tightened around her wrist. “No,” he said, voice rough. “It isn’t.”
Then it came again. A second howl. Deeper this time. Closer.
And this time, Aria felt it vibrate in her chest like a buried truth clawing its way free.
Something was coming.
“They shouldn’t be here,” Lucien growled, pacing before the war table in the inner hall.
The map of the valley trembled beneath his claws. “We would’ve scen
