The fine hair on the back of my neck rises, prickling at my skin the moment the air shifts.
I might not be as strong as the other wolves, but that doesn’t mean my senses aren’t just as sharp.
Someone’s here.
My gaze flicks up from Astrid, scanning the trees across the river. I inhale and try to focus past the usual fear, and immediately, I recoil at the scent carried with the wind.
They’re not from my pack, and not anyone I’ve encountered before. Something about this one smells different. Colder, somehow.
While I focus, the forest goes eerily still aside from the river’s current. Staring ahead, I watch as something shifts within the shadows, then I see him.
A figure stands there, tall and broad-shouldered, with eyes that almost look silver through the trees. He’s dressed in all dark clothes, and his posture is almost relaxed.
From the way he looks at me and the difference in his scent, I know he’s not one of us.
My pulse roars in my ears, and that sinking feeling in my gut only worsens.
He has to be from Wraith Peak. Has to be, especially with their border so close to where we stand.
The man’s gaze shifts from me to Astrid, who had already gravitated towards me. I slowly guide her behind me, noting as she peeks around my hip. Something too close to interest glimmers in his eyes, and my stomach drops.
He saw. I know he did.
My own fickle magic flares instinctively just beneath my skin, more like a protective surge than anything, but it’s weak compared to what Astrid had let out just moments ago.
With as much strength as I can muster, I force my glamor to blanket over her, sealing back her power before he can detect it again.
The stranger pulls in a breath, tilting his head as if putting pieces together, then he steps back.
My next breath leaves me rushed and heavy, and without missing a beat, I scoop Astrid up in my arms and begin back the way we came.
“We’re going home, sweetie. Just hold on.”
Astrid doesn’t argue, clearly having sensed my own fear. She has always been incredibly perceptive, and hiding my feelings from her has always been a struggle.
She stays quiet and leans into me with nothing but complete trust.
I don’t say anything else throughout the walk back home, keeping my stride hurried while I focus my senses on searching for any sign that the stranger has followed. Fortunately, I don’t smell anything.
Regardless, that dread only curdles in my stomach.
If that was a shifter from the Wraith Peak pack, and he managed to witness Astrid’s power unfurling, then I have every reason to be terrified.
They’re a group isolated from the others on the island, known for disregarding rules and creating their own.
From the day we can understand spoken words, we’re told to stay as far away from them as possible. To never stray too close to the northern borders.
I knew it would be a risk since the day I moved into the remote cabin, but I didn’t have any other choice. I did it for Astrid and me, and now, we’re both at risk.
My power isn’t enough to hold her magic back forever, and more often than not, she’s starting to slip. She’s growing and awakening, and I have nobody to turn to, aside from my mom.
Even if I’m technically part of the pack, I can’t depend on anyone else in it. I have no allies and no favors to call in.
Not after Caleb rejected me, and not after I cut all ties to build a life without him.
If word gets out about Astrid and her abilities, then Caleb will come for her, if not the entire pack.
Worry stitches my brows together while I rush toward the cabin, giving my daughter a small squeeze in my arms.
