Shadows Tha

not sleep o

or nearly t

Not since silver eyes burned into his memory like a brand. Not since the rift, that c

miles of shadow-draped forest. The trees below shivered under moonlight. His sharp profile glowed

the wolf under his skin. It was

ere were whispers of stirrings in the Appalachian region. Flickers of unfamiliar

only mean

as b

The intruder. The w

ss body, hear the stillness after the storm, feel the fury curdle in his ches

oice interru

d him. Tall, with onyx braids and feral grace, she was o

. Appalachian trails. Power

"He's hiding like a rat. Good. Let him t

been quiet all this tim

"He didn't mean to kill

le

, where a map waited marked with claw-sla

d it before the

AY - QUIET RI

o the folds of sleepy mountains. The kind of place people

w "Rye," had carved out a

came for furniture repairs, custom chairs, or to browse the handcrafted spoons and bo

his own hands. No mag

, time, a

nd his ears and a permanent shadow in his eyes. He wore flannel like armor and boot

r he buried it, the

lse of the earth through his soles. Still woke up drenc

fted in 37 ye

nt, but kind. A man who kept to himself. Most thoug

ong his ribs. Or the strange, low growl he sometimes mad

with loneliness. It was

l to

like an

and cool air. Riven was sanding down the edge

velly voice

nding to be

look up. Bu

d Lunaris wolf with jet-black hair and a crescent-shaped scar across his jaw. A rogue fro

come here," Riv

You thought hiding on a dead-

do you

host. The one who br

ped closer

g a finger along the edge of a carved bench. "The Earth wolves

Riven's to

hadows for decades. He doesn't know

ame-Lucien-still pierced. That boy had been young. He remembered his face, twisted in

workbench, voice quiet

not have

another word, the be

e in years, Riven did

THAT

en was out behind the shop, split

l. Not wol

thing...

rning toward

door

he sa

gn as if unsure whether to go in. Her hair was coiled in a soft bun, sung

ar

ous. She wasn't from town. That was clear in the way she paused to so

hed for

ell c

hadows, something in him

rst time in ov

nted to

-