Chapter 7: The Breakthrough

**Over the next few days, their investigation began in earnest.**

Darius and Serena spent hours poring over old records, questioning pack members who had seen or heard anything unusual in recent months. They combed through reports of rogue sightings, suspicious visitors, and even unexplained territory incursions, determined to find a lead.

They worked together seamlessly, Serena’s sharp intuition complementing Darius’s strategic thinking. She often picked up on details he overlooked, like the scent of unfamiliar wolves near her place of recovery or faint markings on trees indicating passing strangers. Darius, in turn, had a knack for understanding motives, uncovering possible alliances between rival packs and potential enemies lurking on the edges of their territories.

One evening, as they reviewed their findings, Serena felt a flash of memory—a face, cold and expressionless, with dark eyes that held no mercy.

“I remember a face,&r