Chapter 42 – Vanessa (POV)
Title: The Alpha of Shadows
The sky had turned an angry gray by the time I reached the edge of the forest. My legs were sore, scratched up from running through sharp underbrush, and I could barely breathe. The trees here were thicker, darker, almost unnatural. A chilling wind swept through the woods, making the leaves rustle like whispers in my ears.
I had crossed the boundary into Shadowfang territory.
Every part of me knew I shouldn't be here. The stories I heard growing up warned about this place. Cursed land. Wolves who no longer felt. An Alpha said to be born of darkness. But I didn't have a choice. I was being hunted, and I could no longer outrun them.
Behind me, I heard the low, twisted growls of the corrupted wolves. They weren't part of any known pack. Their eyes were red, bodies bent in unnatural shapes. Whatever magic had touched them, it wasn't kind. They were more monster than wolf now, and they were tracking me like I was prey.
