Nightfall had taken the bait.The deeper woods on the western side of the territory were older than the rest of the forest, their towering trunks thick and crooked with age. As Kael, Ayla, and the small group of warriors moved beneath the heavy canopy, the sunlight faded into fractured beams that barely reached the ground. The air felt cooler here, damp with the scent of moss and river water carried by a slow-moving current somewhere nearby.Kael walked slightly ahead, his posture alert, every sense tuned to the surroundings. His wolf stirred beneath his skin, restless but controlled. Each step was