The howl didn’t fade. It lingered. Echoing through the night like something alive, something deliberate stretching across the forest, weaving through the trees, reaching straight into my chest. And the worst part? I understood it. Not the words. Not exactly. But the meaning. My breath caught as the realization hit me, sharp and undeniable. “It’s calling…” I whispered. Kael’s arms tightened around me instantly. “What did you say?” My fingers curled weakly against his chest, my entire body still trembling from the shift, from the exhaustion, from everything that had just happened. “The howl,” I said, my voice unsteady. “It’s not random.” Another echo cut through the air. Closer this time. Clearer. My heart pounded harder. “It’s a call,” I continued, my voice dropping. “Not for the pack…” My throat tightened. “…for me.” The silence that followed was suffocating. Kael didn’t speak immediately. But I felt it. The shift in him. The tension.
Read more