moved with purpose, each step calculated to avoid the twigs and dry leaves that could betray her presence. Every sound, every whisp

ace of safety, a community that had trusted her and that she had protected. Now, it felt like a distant memory-another life she could

For several long moments, she listened, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. The darkness seemed to pre

the

She couldn't afford to second guess every noise. She had to trust her instinc

art of her journey-where the patrols could easily spot her if they ventured off their usual route. She crouched low, her eyes scanning

she had kept hidden since the days when she oversaw the compound's defenses. Her hand tremble

gate open just enough to slip through, careful not to let the metal groan. Once sh

ght a mix of fear and a strange, tentative sense of freedom. But t

untamed, a place where even the most seasoned members of the pack would hesitate to tread. That remoteness was what Avel

of his betrayal was still fresh, a wound that refused to close. How had things gon

she told herself firm

che in the back of her mind. She had once thought she knew him, that they had been

er fingers brushing against the small pendant she wore beneath her cloak. It was a gift from Killian, a symbol o

n and let the pendant fall to the ground. It landed with a soft thud, quickly disappearing into the leaves. She didn

d space surrounded by dense underbrush. Aveline quickly searched the area and found the pack of

order of the Northern Highlands. Aveline took a deep breath, steeling herself for the difficult journey ahead. She ha

zel stood there, barely visible in the darkness. She must have followed Av

her voice trembling slight

lied, her voice thick with emotion. "I couldn't

admitted, her voice brea

race. They stayed like that for a moment, both holding o

red, her voice fierce despite the tears stream

, giving Hazel one last look-a look filled with gratitude, pain, and

zel," Avelin

zel replied, her vo

ared into the darkness. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves and

ldn't a

orthern Highlands and the unknown fate that awaited her

base of the mountains. The cold crept in slowly, making her cloak feel thin and her fingers numb. But she

er breath against an ancient oak tree, its thick trunk twisted with age. A gust of wind whistled through the br

ing in her throat. The howl didn't belong to any of the wolves she recognized-it was wild and untamed, somethin

ectively. They were the only reason she had the strength to do this, to leave behind eve

at blanketed the lower slopes of the Northern Highlands. She had heard stories of these woods-of ancient creatures and forgotten ruins, of powerful magic t

tch up with her, her legs trembling with the strain of the journey. She stopped again, leaning against

wind having died down. The only sounds were her own breathing and the distant rus

f pursuit. She forced herself to take a deep breath, pushing back the fear that gn

hispered to herself, her voice

gravel, and she stumbled, catching herself just before she fell. She muttered a curse under her breath, her heart racing from the near fa

p. She didn't have t

ght. Aveline kept her hood pulled low, not wanting to risk being seen by anyone who might happen to wander these

used, her breath misting in the cool morning air. The sight was both beautiful and haunting-the rolling hil

again. It had been her home for so long, the center of her world. But now it was ju

Northern Highlands grew steeper from here, the terrain becoming rough and rocky. She wo

int rustling, like footsteps moving through the underbrush. Aveline's heart leapt in

a dark figure slipping between the trees, too far away to make out clearly. Panic flared in her chest, a

e again, and the rustling stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Aveline st

stay here; she had to keep moving. But the figure's presence haunted her

. She needed to put as much distance between herself and Whispering

shadows of the forest closing in around her once more. Each step took her further from the

ard-into the uncertainty, into the shadows, and into wha