The deeper Megan walked, the quieter the world became. The village lights faded behind her, swallowed by the looming arms of the forest. Each step softened against moss and fallen leaves, the distant hoot of an owl echoing like a solemn reminder of the hour. Her breath fogged in the night air, her fingers curled tighter around her shawl.
All that surrounded her now was the rustle of branches overhead and the rhythmic beat of her heart — steady, but weighted with unspoken things.
She stepped into the clearing — their clearing.
The same place where, over a year ago, they had heard the heart-wrenching cry of a dying wolf. The sound had echoed through the trees, hollow and raw, the night before Artemis vanished. The same wolf who now lived within Orion — her husband.
