The next morning I woke to a piercing howl, a wolf’s desperate cry for help that jolted me out of sleep. My heart pounded, and I shot upright, throwing off the blanket without a second thought. I rushed outside, not even pausing to wonder if I’d imagined the sound or if anyone else had heard it. It was still dark, the world quiet except for that haunting howl echoing in my ears. My wolf senses kicked in, heightened and alert, guiding me like a beacon. The howl came again, raw and