Chapter 9 Echoes Of War

• The forest was no longer a place of refuge. The air hung thick with unease, every rustle and crack sending waves of tension rippling through the pack. Ivy could feel it deep in her bones—the silent drumbeat of war approaching, a clash that would decide more than just territory or power. It would decide their survival.
• In the days after the trial, the pack’s mood shifted. Training grew harsher, patrols lengthened, and whispers of rogue movements spread like wildfire. No one spoke openly about the past attacks, but the scars were fresh in everyone’s eyes.
• Kael stood beside Ivy as they watched the sun dip below the horizon, painting the sky in bruised purples and fiery oranges. “They’re getting bolder,” he said quietly, voice low with grim certainty. “The rogues want to break us before the full moon.”