CHAPTER 66 : Into the Wild

MELISSA’S POV

The sound was faint, but unmistakable—wood groaning under pressure, the kind of sound that made my senses sharpen. I froze, my heart skipping a beat as I instinctively scanned the treeline. The forest was thick, a web of shadows and sunlight that made it hard to distinguish anything clearly.

I took a deep breath.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. My inner wolf stirred within me, always more perceptive than my human side, sensing something in the air that wasn’t quite right. But as I continued to listen, the forest remained still. Nothing else moved, no further sounds came, and the tension in my body slowly began to unravel.

It was nothing. I told myself, exhaling a long, slow breath. Just the forest waking up.

Still, my wolf whined softly, restless beneath my skin. She wasn’t convinced, and I could feel her pushing against the edges of my control, eager to be let out, to run, to stretch her legs after so long. I had been ignoring her needs for days,