Chapter 4 — <strong>Shattered Authority</strong>

Kael moved swiftly through the forest, his boots crunching against damp leaves and tangled roots. The air was thick with moisture, laced with the faint, electric tang of magic he despised. It clung to his throat, sour and cloying, and he resisted the urge to cough. Around him, the pack’s warriors followed in tense silence, their faces set but uneasy. He could feel it in their darting glances, their stiff postures, the way the forest pressed down on them like a weight.