Chapter 75

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility press down on me.

“Then we have to be ready. If he’s testing us, we need to make sure he finds nothing but strength.”

We continued on, following the tracks deeper into the borderlands. The forest grew thicker, the shadows lengthening as we moved further from the safety of Talon territory. Every sound, every rustle in the underbrush, made me tense, aware of how vulnerable we were this far from home. I knew the risks of coming here, knew that if we encountered Silas’s wolves, it could quickly escalate. But this was a risk I needed to take if I was going to protect my pack.

As we rounded a bend, Dante suddenly stopped, his posture rigid. I saw it then—a flash of movement in the trees up ahead. I crouched low, following his gaze, my heart hammering as I spotted two figures moving quietly through the underbrush, their forms barely visible in the shadows.

“Silas’s scouts,” Dante whispered, his tone deadly calm.

“They’re close. Too close.”

I swallowed, my instincts screaming at me to turn back, to return to the safety of Talon territory. But I couldn’t—this was exactly what we had come to see. We needed to know what we were up against, and these scouts could provide valuable insight.