there was something gentler in his touch now, something that made her feel as though he was trying to keep her grounded in the midst of the chaos. She could feel t

f they, too, were aware of the threat that had just passed through. The faint rustling of leave

ssed, the image of Talon and the rogue wolf locked in battle burned into her mind. She couldn't fathom how someone like her-

hem. He was alert, every sense heightened, like a predator on the prowl. "We n

whispered, feeling the weight of his

he fought the urge to look back. The sound of leaves crunching underfoot seemed to echo louder than ever as

Talon never faltered, never slowed. It was as if he knew exactly where t

edge now. The questions were bubbling to the surface, each one gnawing at her,

e unreadable, his lips pressed into a thin line. "It's because of your abilities," he said after a long pause. "The visio

word hanging in the air

, one that says you'll either save us or destroy us," he said softly. "And the rogues-Ryker's pack-they belie

e sort of weapon in a prophecy she didn't understand, or that these wolves-the

me?" she asked, her voic

f a quiet, dangerous intensity. "Yes. They want your power. But

s his words. "But if they're so

wed with an unreadable emotion. "I have my ways," he said, his voice low and filled with the

stery, someone who had a past he wasn't sharing, and a future that was uncertain. She could feel it in the air, in the way he moved

eerie, haunting sound of wolves in the night, but these were differ

" Talon muttered, his voic

r chest, fear gripping her

re he turned his attention back to the darkened path

heart skipped a beat. She couldn't even process the fact that she was being dragged into a world she didn't belong in, that her life had just shifted into something

uld see flashes of movement-dark shapes weaving between the t

with grim determination. "Stay close," he ordered

was coursing through her veins now, her heart pounding with the knowledge that something terrible was closing

t. "We need to make it to the clearing. Once we're

he weight of everything that had happened, everything that was happening, pressed down on he

couldn't shake the feeling that they were

her grew stronger. Something she couldn't yet understand, but

t ready to be unleashed. And as the clearing came into v