Chapter 51. Between the Flame and the Fang

They hadn’t yet reached the edge of the clearing when the first howl broke the silence.

It was short. Too short for mourning. Too long for a call to war.

Aria froze mid-step. Adrian’s head snapped up before the sound even finished, his nostrils flaring.

Another howl followed—closer, tighter. Then silence again.

But it wasn’t just silence.

It was wrong.

Like something had been removed from the world and no one noticed until now.

Adrian’s voice came like gravel beneath velvet. “That came from the northern perimeter.”

Her chest tightened. “What is it?”

He didn’t answer, but the way his eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened told her enough.

He pulled her a step closer. “Stay behind me.”

She didn’t.

They didn’t speak as they moved, just fell into rhythm—his stride longer, hers quicker to match. But she felt it building between them: something cold and heavy and familiar.

Guilt.

By the time the third h