Chapter 20. Pulse of the Tree

The wind howled against the attic window like something alive.

Aria lay awake on her thin mattress, arms crossed over her chest, the silver crest from Kade resting on the floor beside her like a sleeping animal. The wolf inside her was restless again—not in pain, not angry, just… alert. As if it were waiting for something. Watching.

She closed her eyes and tried to ignore it.

Then came the sound.

It wasn’t a voice exactly. More like a vibration—a slow hum that settled into her bones. The air shifted. The attic’s musty scent faded, replaced by pine and damp earth. Her wolf stirred fully, ears pricked. She bolted upright.

There were no footsteps, no shadows outside her window. But something was calling her.

Not someone.

Something ancient.

She didn’t question it. Not this time.

Her feet moved before she could think. She pulled on jeans, her hoodie, laced her boots in the dark. The floor didn’t creak as she crept past the attic ladde