105

105

(Third party POV)

The sun dropped behind the tree line, and with it, silence spread through the camp like a shroud. Every wolf, every warrior, every witch seemed to pause as though the earth itself was holding its breath.

At the center of the clearing, Lena and her sisters stepped barefoot into the circle they had carved into the ground. Ancient runes were etched deep into the soil, glowing faintly as dusk surrendered to night. The witches clasped hands, their eyes reflecting firelight and something more powerful than the pack itself.

“Wards are holding,” one murmured, though her voice carried like a bell across the stillness.

The air grew colder as they began to chant, low at first, a whisper that crawled across the ground like smoke. The runes flared, pulsing in rhythm with their voices, until the very earth seemed to hum.

Around them, the wolves formed their perimeter. Tyler shifted, Goliath’s presence a looming force just beneath his skin. Camerin prowled the edge of the