By sunrise, the village no longer felt like home.
It felt like a place waiting for something terrible to happen.
The usual sounds of Silvercrest were still there.
Doors opening.
Footsteps crossing the paths.
The distant clang of weapons from the training grounds.
Children being called inside by their mothers.
But beneath all of it was something different.
Fear.
It clung to every conversation.
Every glance toward the forest.
Every silence that lasted a little too long.
The eastern patrol still hadn't returned.
Four wolves.
Four people who had walked into the forest expecting to come home before noon.
They hadn't.
And nobody knew why.
I stood outside the healer's hut with my arms crossed, watching several warriors hurry past.
None of them looked relaxed.
Their hands stayed close to their weapons.
Their eyes constantly moved toward the tree line.
My wolf shifted uneasily inside me.
Something changed.
"I know."
No. Something bigger.
I looked toward the eastern forest.
Yesterday, I had thought the strange symbol was merely a mystery.
Now I wasn't so sure.
I remembered the footsteps outside the healer's hut.
Those pale eyes between the trees.
The sensation of being watched.
And the symbol.
Three curved lines around a small circle.
The same symbol had been found near the place where the patrol disappeared.
I hadn't told anyone about the presence I had felt.
Not even Lysandra.
I wasn't sure why.
Maybe because I was afraid they would think I was imagining things.
Maybe because some part of me was afraid of what would happen if they believed me.
Or maybe—
I simply didn't want anyone going back there.
---
"Elara."
I turned.
Lysandra stood in the doorway.
"Come inside."
"I already finished sorting the herbs."
"I know."
She stepped aside.
"Inside."
I frowned.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Then why—"
"Because you're not going anywhere."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"Inside, Elara."
I reluctantly stepped through the door.
Lysandra closed it behind me.
The moment the wooden latch fell into place, I knew this wasn't about herbs.
Mira was sitting beside the worktable.
There were bandages, bottles, and medical supplies spread across every surface.
More than usual.
Much more.
"What happened?"
"Three warriors came back injured from the western border this morning," Mira said.
My stomach tightened.
"Shadowfen?"
"We don't know."
Lysandra moved toward the shelves.
"But that's not why you're staying."
I looked at her.
"Then why?"
She turned.
"Because Alpha Roran has ordered that all unassigned wolves remain inside the central territory."
My eyebrows rose.
"I'm not unassigned."
Lysandra gave me a look.
I immediately realized what she meant.
I wasn't part of a patrol group.
Everyone else had someone.
I didn't.
"So I'm being punished because nobody wanted me?"
Her expression softened.
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"Protection."
I almost laughed.
"Protection?"
"Yes."
"I can protect myself."
"I know."
She paused.
"But that's exactly why you're difficult."
I blinked.
"What?"
"You'll walk into danger simply because you think nobody will notice if you don't come back."
I didn't have an answer.
Because she was right.
I looked away.
Lysandra sighed.
"Elara, things are getting worse."
"I know."
"No. I don't think you do."
Her voice became quieter.
"The missing patrol has changed everything."
I swallowed.
"Their bodies haven't been found."
"Exactly."
She moved closer.
"If they were dead, we'd have something to work with. Blood. Bodies. Tracks. Anything."
Her eyes met mine.
"But four wolves walked into the forest and vanished."
The room seemed colder.
"And now you're trying to tell me I should stay here?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Until Alpha Roran says otherwise."
I stared at her.
I hated the answer.
But I knew better than to argue with Lysandra when she used that tone.
---
Later that morning, the entire patrol force was summoned.
I wasn't supposed to attend.
Lysandra made that very clear.
"You stay here."
"But—"
"No."
"I only want to listen."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I know you."
I crossed my arms.
"I won't do anything."
Lysandra raised an eyebrow.
"You once followed a wounded fox three miles into the woods because you thought it looked lonely."
"It was injured."
"It bit you."
"It was scared."
"You needed stitches."
I opened my mouth.
She pointed toward the shelves.
"Herbs."
I sighed.
"Fine."
I watched from the window instead.
The central grounds were crowded.
Patrol wolves stood in rows.
The usual casual conversations were gone.
Everyone was waiting.
Then Beta Garrick arrived.
Kieran's father.
I had seen him many times before, but never this close.
Garrick Vale carried himself differently from the other wolves.
Older.
Broad-shouldered.
His hair had begun to gray at the temples, but there was nothing weak about him.
His presence alone silenced the crowd.
Kieran stood several steps behind him.
Callen was there too.
Garrick looked across the patrol members.
"The patrol system has changed."
Nobody spoke.
"Effective immediately, double patrols are no longer permitted."
Murmurs spread through the group.
Garrick raised his voice.
"No pairs."
Silence returned.
"No lone patrols."
My hands tightened around the windowsill.
"From this point forward, all border patrols will be conducted by the elite wolf warriors."
That caused a reaction.
The elite warriors.
The strongest wolves in Silvercrest.
They weren't normally assigned to ordinary patrols.
They protected the Alpha.
They trained younger warriors.
They handled threats that required strength.
If they were taking over patrol duty...
Then this wasn't just a precaution.
It was preparation.
Garrick continued.
"The missing patrol has proven that our current defenses are insufficient."
His jaw tightened.
"We don't know what took them."
The word took echoed in the crowd.
Not killed.
Not attacked.
Took.
"Until we understand what we're dealing with, nobody is to cross the eastern boundary without direct orders."
One of the patrol wolves raised his hand.
"What about the western border?"
"Elite warriors will handle it."
"The river?"
"Elite warriors."
"The northern ridge?"
"Elite warriors."
Garrick looked over the crowd.
"Every active patrol route will now be handled by trained elite units."
Nobody argued.
Nobody dared.
Then Garrick added something that made my stomach twist.
"And any wolf found patrolling alone will be removed from patrol duty."
I stared at the window.
My wolf was silent.
Even she understood what that meant.
I wasn't going anywhere.
---
The meeting ended.
The warriors began dispersing.
Kieran remained beside his father.
Callen walked toward them, saying something I couldn't hear.
Then Kieran looked toward the healer's hut.
Toward my window.
I immediately stepped back.
My heart raced.
Why did he keep looking at me?
I knew what I believed.
He didn't want me.
The Blood Moon had made that painfully clear.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
But sometimes...
Sometimes I wondered if I had misunderstood something.
My wolf certainly thought so.
You ran before he could speak.
"I know."
Then why are you angry at him?
"I'm not."
You are.
I turned away from the window.
"I don't want to talk about him."
She didn't answer.
But I could feel her disagreement.
---
By afternoon, the healer's hut had become a small fortress.
Lysandra had turned me into her second pair of hands.
I prepared bandages.
Sorted herbs.
Cleaned instruments.
Organized medical supplies.
Prepared poultices.
Checked water.
Even swept the floors.
There was always something to do.
And strangely...
I didn't mind.
It reminded me of before.
Before the Blood Moon.
Before the whispers.
Before Kieran.
Before the missing patrol.
The work kept my mind occupied.
Until the injured warriors started arriving.
The first had a deep cut along his shoulder.
The second had bruising across his ribs.
The third had claw marks across his back.
None of them could clearly explain what had attacked them.
One said he smelled Shadowfen.
Another said he didn't.
The third kept insisting that he had heard something moving beneath the trees.
Something that wasn't a wolf.
That statement made Lysandra pause.
I noticed.
So did Mira.
But Lysandra said nothing.
Neither did I.
---
As evening approached, I stepped outside briefly to collect fresh water.
The village was quieter now.
The elite warriors had begun leaving in groups.
They moved with purpose.
Weapons ready.
Faces serious.
There were no casual patrols anymore.
No pairs walking together.
No younger wolves joking as they crossed the paths.
Silvercrest had changed in a single day.
I carried the bucket back toward the hut.
Then I stopped.
A scent reached me.
Cedar.
Warm.
Familiar.
My heart immediately betrayed me.
I turned.
Kieran stood several yards away.
He wasn't wearing his usual relaxed training clothes.
He was dressed for patrol.
Dark armor.
Weapons at his side.
His expression was serious.
He looked tired.
He looked worried.
And he was looking directly at me.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then he took one step forward.
My wolf practically leapt inside me.
Mate.
I clenched my jaw.
No.
I couldn't do this.
Not now.
Not after everything.
I turned toward the healer's hut.
"Elara."
His voice stopped me.
I froze.
It was the first time he had said my name directly since the Blood Moon.
My fingers tightened around the bucket handle.
Slowly, I turned.
Kieran looked like he wanted to say something.
But before he could—
"Elara!"
Lysandra's voice came from the doorway.
I glanced back.
When I looked toward Kieran again, his expression had changed.
He had stepped back.
"Go," he said quietly.
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Lysandra is waiting."
There was something strange in his voice.
Almost disappointment.
I nodded.
"Good night, Kieran."
His eyes softened.
"Good night, Elara."
I walked away.
I didn't look back.
But my wolf did.
You should have stayed.
"I couldn't."
You were afraid.
"Yes."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then—
Not of him.
I stopped walking.
My chest tightened.
I didn't answer.
Because I knew she was right.
I wasn't afraid of Kieran.
I was afraid of what would happen if I discovered that everything I believed about that night was wrong.
---
That night, the elite warriors returned.
Only half of them.
The others were still out.
Searching.
Watching.
Protecting.
The village waited.
And somewhere beyond the eastern forest, four missing wolves remained unaccounted for.
No bodies.
No clear tracks.
No explanation.
Only blood.
Only the strange symbol.
And whatever had been watching from the trees.
Inside the healer's hut, I sat beside the window while Lysandra prepared another batch of medicine.
I stared toward the darkness.
My wolf shifted beneath my skin.
Elara.
"What?"
The forest is awake.
I swallowed.
Then, from somewhere beyond the trees, came a howl.
It wasn't a Silvercrest signal.
It wasn't the call of an injured wolf.
It was low.
Deep.
And distant.
Lysandra stopped what she was doing.
Mira looked toward the window.
Nobody spoke.
Then another howl answered.
Much closer.
Lysandra slowly lowered the bowl in her hands.
"Stay inside."
I nodded.
But my eyes remained fixed on the forest.
Because somewhere out there...
Something was calling.
And somehow, deep inside me, I knew it wasn't calling for the pack.
It was calling for me.