-Julien Grayson:
I pressed myself against the hard muscle of the person in front of me, chest heaving and legs trembling, trying to make sense of the shadows around me. The forest was unnervingly silent, except for the distant rustle of leaves and my own ragged breathing.
My eyes strained to pierce the darkness, to make out anything familiar, anything alive, but all I could see was the black of night pressed against the black of the trees. I couldn't see him. I didn't know who he was. Deep down there, I hoped he was my dad, but he didn't smell like him nor feel like Pops.
"Wait," I whispered, my voice breaking despite my attempt at calm. "You… you need to get out of here. There's a wolf. He—he killed all our guards. Who are you? Are you one of the guards?"
