Casian walked out of the cave, dejected, his steps heavy with unspoken turmoil. Ignoring the carriage that had brought them there, he didn't hesitate and shifted into his wolf form and bolting into the woods, his powerful frame disappearing into the thick underbrush.
Darius lingered at the mouth of the cave, watching silently. The tension hung in the air like a storm cloud. But as Casian's Beta—his brother in all but blood—he couldn't just let him disappear into that darkness alone.
Without hesitation, Darius shifted and followed, his paws pounding against the forest floor with practiced rhythm.
Through the bond, he felt it all. The weight of disappointment pressing down on Casian like a mountain. The pain—raw and volatile—bubbling beneath the surface, masked poorly by fury. The Alpha wasn't running toward anything.
He was running from himself.
Casian pushed through thick trees, vaulted over logs, his breaths heavy and wild. And then—without warning—he stopped.
