"The howl wasn't just a sound. It was a declaration of war."
I didn't think. Didn't hesitate.
My wolf surged forward, and I was already moving before my conscious mind caught up. Out of the dorm. Down the stairs. Across the courtyard toward the tree line where that howl had originated.
Through the bond, I felt Darius doing the same. Running from the opposite side of campus. Both of us pulled toward the threat like magnets to steel.
Students poured out of their dorms. Some shifted immediately. Others froze in confusion. A few ran toward the main building where faculty would be gathering.
But I wasn't waiting for permission or backup.
My wolf knew. Whoever was out there, they'd come for me specifically. And I wasn't going to let them bring the fight to innocent students.
I hit the tree line at full speed. The forest swallowed me whole. Darkness pressing in from all sides despite the moon hanging fat and silver overhead.
Another howl. Closer now. Maybe fifty yards ahead.
