**Two Nights Before the Full Moon**
*Evening*
By the time I made it back to the servant quarters, the pack was already preparing for the hunt.
The courtyard buzzed with movement—wolves gathering in tense clusters, exchanging armor for loose clothes easy to shred during the shift, sharpening blades not meant for hunting animals. There was a current in the air—sharp, electric. It crawled down my spine and settled at the base of my neck.
No one was talking about it openly, but I could see it in their eyes.
They were getting ready to *hunt humans*.
I slipped past them unnoticed, pressing my back against the stone wall as two guards carried crates filled with shackles and wolfsbane-lined nets.
They were gearing up for more than just a mindless bloodbath.
They were preparing for *capture*.
And whoever they didn't kill—they'd drag back to the cells beneath the pack house. Like cattle.
My stomach twisted violently.
I had to warn them. My family.
