Chapter 40: Shadows and Moonlight
Lily POV
The howl that split the night air made my blood freeze. It wasn’t like any wolf sound I’d ever heard - too deep, too hollow, like it came from something that used to be alive but wasn’t anymore.
I pressed myself against the rocky cliff wall, trying to make myself invisible as three Shadow Wolves padded through the moonlight below me. Their eyes glowed that awful bright color, but worse than that was how they moved. Wrong. Like puppets being controlled by unseen strings.
My Triple Moon mark suddenly blazed with pain so sharp I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out. The metal pattern on my wrist felt like it was burning through my skin. What was happening to me?
"She’s close," one of the Shadow Wolves said in a flat, lifeless voice. "The mark calls to us."
My heart hammered against my ribs. They could sense my mark? That was impossible. Nobody had ever told me Triple Moon marks could be tracked.
I tried to move further up the cliff, but loose rocks scattered under my feet. The sound echoed through the mountain air like thunder. All three Shadow Wolves snapped their heads up toward my hidden spot.
"There," another one said. "The bearer attempts to flee."
I ran.
My feet slipped on the icy mountain road as I scrambled higher up the cliff. Behind me, I heard the Shadow Wolves starting their climb. They moved too fast, too sure-footed, like the dangerous terrain meant nothing to them.
My mark burned hotter with every step. The pain was so bad that tears streamed down my face, but I couldn’t stop running. If they caught me, it wasn’t just my life at stake - it was everyone’s. The whole dog world.