CHAPTER 52 — The Night Doesn’t SettleThe orchard stayed behind us, but the feeling didn’t.It clung to me like humidity—thin, quiet, barely noticeable unless I focused on it. But Sylvie felt it. She stayed curled tight under my ribs, ears forward, tail still. Not pacing. Not bristling. Just listening. The way she listens when something is out there but hasn’t decided whether to step closer.The Fall Moon Festival was still in full swing across the pack grounds. Lanterns hung from the trees, glowing gold and amber. Drums thumped in steady rhythms, mixing with laughter, chatter, and the occasional howl from wolves already half‑shifted and dancing near the bonfires. The smell of roasted meat, sweetbread, and spiced cider drifted through the air.None of it touched the space around us.Father and Elias carried the containment unit toward the holding structure behind the main house. The elder inside was unconscious, sealed, stabilized, but the air around the device still felt wrong. Not d
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