...It wasn't a suggestion. It was a threat. Garron looked around.
All eyes were on him — tense, expectant, wary. These men were done. Done risking their lives for a mission they didn't understand. Done following a leader who they don't know why he was still pushing forward.
And truthfully… neither did Garron.
He swallowed hard, jaw working as he turned without a word and pushed past them, back down the path from where they'd come.
He hated it. But he wasn't ready to die in that forest. Not for this.
Behind him, the men let out a collective breath. Some muttered curses of relief. Others cast wary glances back toward the distant hills where the howls still echoed faintly in the air, as if the very forest was alive with watching eyes.
Then, one by one, they followed.
Not far from them In the thick shadows of the forest, where moonlight dared not touch, a lone figure stood among the trees — silent, still, and watching.
