My wolf ran until we were far beyond our pack’s territory, but I didn’t try to stop him. If Skye wanted to keep going, to run until we both dropped, I wasn’t about to fight him. What was the point? He’d never listen to me anyway, not now, not after everything I’d done. Giving up felt like the easiest way out, even if I knew it was cowardly. I was too tired, too angry to care. Finally, he stopped, his paws digging into the ground, and he let out a howl that tore through the air, raw and piercing.It was filled with pain, anger, frustration, and a longing so deep it made my chest ache. Every bit of it was aimed at me, like a blade pointed straight at my heart. I deserved it. My mind drifted back to that disaster of a meeting with Alessandro. Did he know what he was doing when he fed me those lies? Was he deliberately trying to get under my skin? But if he was targeting me through my mate, how could he have known Ashley was mine? I’d only found out yesterday, and the only person I’d told

Evening rolled by quickly, and nothing major happened except me starting to embrace this new life I’d stumbled into. It was strange, feeling like I might actually belong somewhere after everything I’d been through. I was still getting used to the rhythm of this place, the way the women moved with purpose, each task part of a bigger effort to keep this small pack going. I caught sight of Lucia heading out, a bow slung over her shoulder, her steps sure and deliberate. She paused for a moment, her eyes locking on mine like she had something to say. Her expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight of her gaze. Then, without a word, she turned and walked away. I don’t know why, but I kept staring at her retreating back, my mind blank, like I was trying to figure her out without even meaning to.A presence beside me snapped me out of it, and I turned to see one of the women who’d been guarding the entrance when Silvia first brought me here. She stood next to me, her eyes following

Third person's POV Adrian returned to the pack house after his heated argument with his wolf, Skye, his mind tangled with guilt, anger, and regret. The weight of rejecting Ashley pressed heavily on him, and Skye’s silence only made it worse. The first person he saw was Katrina, her face tight with worry, her eyes searching his for answers. He walked past her, his jaw clenched, hoping to avoid her entirely, but she followed, her voice high and whining as she trailed behind him. “Adrian, you scared me out there!” she said, her tone sharp with accusation. “You just left me all alone! What’s going through your head? You owe me an explanation!” He ignored her, his steps quickening as he headed for the shower, desperate to clear his mind. The hot water did little to ease the chaos swirling inside him. He’d made a promise to Skye—that once they got back to the pack, they’d find a way to track do

I sighted Silvia standing at the edge of the woods, staring off into nothing like her mind was a million miles away. I didn’t know what was going through her head, or if I should even try to pull her out of whatever thoughts had her so lost. Part of me wanted to leave her be, to let her have her moment, but before I could talk myself out of it, my feet were already carrying me toward her. I stopped beside her, my eyes catching the mark on her neck again—those strange, root-like lines that spread across her shoulder blade and crept up toward her jaw. I’d noticed it the first day I arrived, but I hadn’t said anything about it, not wanting to seem nosy. Now, though, standing there with her, I felt this need to break the silence, to say something to connect us. “What happened to you?” I asked, my voice soft but curious, nodding toward the mark. She let out a small scoff, her eyes still fixed on some distant point. “Happened