Chapter 18: No Way Back

The woods had gone too quiet as she thrashed behind me.

I heard it before I saw it, those soft crunches of boots in the distance, too many to be animals. The Silverfang scouts had finally caught our trail.

Selene was still over my shoulder, kicking and muttering every curse she knew. I set her down when we reached the line of trees.

“Stop fighting,” I said.

“Stop carrying me.” She shoved my chest. “You think you can just drag me around—”

“Quiet.” I raised my hand. “Listen.”

She froze. The sound reached her too—the low murmur of voices, the faint clank of armor.

Her anger faltered. “That’s—”

“Scouts,” I said. “Silverfang. Rafe’s men.”

Her eyes widened. “They found us?”

“Not yet,” I said, grabbing her hand. “But they will if you keep shouting.”

“I wasn’t shouting.”

“Then whisper softer.”

Her glare could’ve set fire to bark, but she didn’t argue when I pulled her into the trees.

We moved fast, feet silent on the damp earth. I could hear the search party spreading behind us, with branches