Scarlett's POV
I followed the man silently through the dense forest, my boots sinking into the damp mud. Every step felt like I was tearing a piece of my soul away from the land I had always called home. My heart ached so deeply that it was difficult to breathe, but I kept moving. I had to. The silence of the forest was heavy, broken only by the snapping of twigs and the distant sound of the river.
Suddenly, the air changed. The familiar scent of pine was replaced by something foul and rotten.
Before the man leading me could even gasp, three shadows lunged from the trees. They were fast—far faster than any normal wolf. They slammed into him before he could even begin to shift. I heard the sickening thud of a fist meeting bone, and he collapsed into the leaves, unconscious before he hit the ground.
"Well, well," a gravelly voice hissed.
