Chapter 12 Trial By Claw

• The rogues came like shadows given flesh.
• Five gaunt figures emerged from the twisted pines, their ribs sharp ridges beneath mangy fur that spoke of too many hungry nights. Their eyes glowed with the dull red of wolves who had abandoned pack law for survival's brutal arithmetic. They moved with the desperate coordination of predators who had learned to hunt together or die alone.
• Reign didn't retreat. Her wolf wouldn't let her.