The Forbidden Forest was worse than Leona remembered. During her alpha trial, she'd only entered the outer edges, and even that had been terrifying enough. Now, pushing deeper into its heart, she understood why both packs had declared this place off-limits for generations.
The trees here were wrong. Their bark was black and twisted, branches reaching out like claws trying to snatch at her hair and clothes. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift and move, making every step uncertain. And the sounds—whispers in languages she didn't understand, laughter that had no source, footsteps that followed but never got closer.
"This place is giving me the creeps," Thalia muttered, her hand on the knife at her belt.
"It's meant to," Leona replied, checking the compass. The needle pointed straight ahead, deeper into the darkness. "The forest feeds on fear. It wants us scared, wants us to make mistakes."
"Well, it's working."
