CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The scent of pine and the crisp, mountain air fills my lungs as I pad silently through the underbrush. The sun peeks over the jagged peaks of the Solar Crest range, spilling golden light across the forest. It's a perfect spring morning, but the usual symphony of birdsong is strangely subdued, replaced by an uneasy silence that prickles the fur on the back of my neck.
Suddenly, the howl of a scout shatters the calm. It’s not one of ours—a rogue. My heart hammers against my ribs as I sprint towards the den, shifting seamlessly into my human form as I go. By the time I reach the clearing where the pack gathers, Alpha Torin stands at the center, his expression grave, surrounded by the pack's anxious murmurs.
"Rogues," he announces, voice ringing clear and authoritative. "Th
