Chapter 106

Kaelen

The forest felt different after she woke her wolf.

The air had weight again. Every breath I took carried the scent of rain and pine and something sharper—wild, electric, alive. Maren walked a few paces ahead of me, her steps soundless over the wet ground, but the world moved with her. Branches bent slightly toward her as she passed, the mist coiling around her ankles like it was curious.

I’