Chapter 19
Hunter leaned back, stretching his. shoulders as he glanced around the nearly empty packhouse. Caleb, with his arms.
crossed, scowled as he stared out the window, watching the night fall over Shadow Pack.
“Did you get any details from her mother?” Hunter asked, his voice low.
Caleb nodded slowly, his gaze distant.
“She mentioned a Mateship Ceremony at Moonlight Pack, but it didn’t make sense. Oh, wait-”
“She told us before she was attending one -for a friend.” Hunter frowned, shifting uncomfortably. The thought of Marissa leaving without a word left him feeling hollow, as if he were missing something crucial. “We’ll go and make sure she s alright.”
Just as Hunter turned toward the door,
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Ivy‘ s soft voice floated into the room.
“You‘ re… leaving?” She asked, standing there with wide, uncertain eyes.
Hunter and Caleb exchanged a brief look before Hunter answered, his tone neutral. “Yes. We’re going to check on Marissa.”
Ivy took a step closer, her gaze flicking between them as her lip quivered slightly.
“But it’s late, and… and it’s a long way to Moonlight Pack. Maybe you should wait until morning?”
Hunter’s eyes hardened, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “We don’t need to wait, Ivy. It’s important.
“But Marissa will be fine,” Ivy insisted, her voice barely more than a whisper. She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing down as if ashamed. “You know how strong she is. And you two just got back from patrols–maybe you should rest.”
Caleb, who had been silent, turned to face Ivy with a look that was neither harsh nor
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particularly kind. “Look, Ivy,” he said, his tone firm, “this isn‘ t up for discussion. Marissa means a lot to us.”
She blinked, and for a moment, her face softened with something resembling hurt. But it passed quickly, replaced by a look of gentle submission as she nodded. “Of course,” she murmured. “I just… I worry
bout you two.
Hunter’s mouth curved into a half–smile, though it was as cold as winter. “Save your concern, Ivy,” he said, giving her a nod before heading toward the door.
“Be careful,” Ivy called softly, her voice clinging to the air like a fading scent. But neither Hunter nor Caleb spared her another glance as they left the packhouse, their steps brisk, determined.
Outside, the night was alive with the faint rustle of trees and the distant howl of wolves in the mountains beyond. Hunter shifted his weight, his impatience obvious as he looked toward the forest, Moonlight
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Pack just beyond the range. “I can t shake the feeling there’s more to this.”
he muttered.
“You and me both,” Caleb agreed. His brows knitted together as he thought of Marissa, her sudden departure, the way she‘ d withdrawn from them after Ivy s
arrival.
They shifted into their wolves, paws meeting the cold ground, and took off toward Moonlight Pack with swift. powerful strides. The wind ruffled their fur as they ran, their instincts sharp, carrying them swiftly through the darkened woods. The silence between them was comfortable but charged, each of them lost in thought, wondering what they would find when they reached Marissa.
Hours passed, and as the moon rose higher, the familiar scent of Moonlight Pack grew stronger. Hunter stopped on a ridge overlooking the valley where the pack‘ s village lay, the lights of their
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gathering halls glowing in the night.
“That’s Alpha King Idris‘ s territory,” Caleb remarked, his voice laced with an undertone of both respect and tension.
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