Chapter 4 — The Silverwood Map’s Whisper

Bella

The heavy silence of the Black Moon Pack’s meeting hall pressed down on Bella’s senses like a physical weight. The room smelled of pinewood, faint smoke from the firepit that dominated its center, and the musky tang of tension. Bella’s sharp green-gold eyes flitted between the gathered wolves, catching the guarded curiosity on some faces and the open distrust on others. Ryder’s piercing blue gaze burned the hottest, his suspicion twisting the already taut atmosphere into something suffocating.