CHAPTER 71INTO THE TEETH OF THE WOODSThey left the camp in silence. No one bothered packing properly. There are moments when survival outranks organisation, though humans and vampires alike insist on pretending otherwise. Blankets were rolled badly. Bags were slung carelessly. Half the fire was kicked apart instead of extinguished. It smoked behind them like a complaint. The werewolves moved first. Not marching. Not stalking. Something in between. Efficient. Soundless where they should have been loud. Garron led without looking back, apparently confident strangers would follow armed predators into the dark. Arrogance and competence often wear similar coats.Rylan walked near the centre. Mira stayed at his side with the rigid posture of someone accompanying a decision she hated. Seris drifted several paces behind, keeping Darian and Niko close enough to protect, far enough to deny affection. Niko leaned toward Darian. “If we die, I’d like i

CHAPTER 73 TEETH BEHIND HOSPITALITY Morning in Ashfang Hollow began with noise. Not chaotic noise. Organised noise. The kind produced by a place that expected to survive another day and had built habits around it. Hammers rang somewhere above the cliff paths. Voices called across bridges. Water wheels turned near the lower springs. Children ran through the lanes with the supernatural confidence of those who believed adults existed solely to prevent consequences. Rylan woke in a narrow room carved into warm stone, already dressed because sleep had become something he visited rather than possessed. Through the open window he could see smoke rising in pale columns and wolves moving below in steady patterns. The guest quarters had been cut into a lower terrace overlooking the main valley. Nearby, Darian sat sharpening a knife with grim concentration. Niko was attempting to balance on a railing and lose an argument with g