The trail of blood was faint, almost gone, but I kept my nose to it like my life depended on it. Maybe it did. Every step through the forest felt heavier. The leaves whispered, the soil was damp, and the world itself seemed to know I was chasing something that would break me.
The smell led me east, toward the neighboring pack's land. That already told me too much. If Darius's blood had ended up there, nothing good waited at the end of this path.
I wanted to stop. Part of me wanted to curl up on the ground and pretend I hadn't seen the stains. Pretend I'd never smelled the iron-salt sting of his blood on the air. Pretend he was safe at home, waiting for me. But lies are easy. Truth is harder. And I'd never been the type to pick easy.
So I walked.
