The howl came again closer this time.
It cut through the forest like a blade, sharp and deliberate, carrying a rhythm Selara had never heard from any pack that belonged to these lands. It wasn't a challenge. It wasn't a warning.
It was a summons.
Draven's shoulders squared as he lifted his head, eyes glowing faintly as he listened past sound and into intent. Around them, the wolves stiffened, the loose semicircle snapping into disciplined formation without a word being spoken. Even the trees seemed to lean inward, branches creaking as if straining to hear.
"That's not a lone scout," Draven said. "It's coordinated."
Selara rolled her neck once, tension clicking along her spine. "And confident," she added. "They're not hiding their trail."
"No," he agreed. "They want us to know they're here."
A third howl rose, answered almost immediately by another this one farther to the south. Selara's eyes narrowed as she mapped the sounds in her head.
