Shadewood With all the fire we can breathe.

Small droplets of blood studded the snow. Riley got a strange sense of deja vu, his eyes trailing to the fresh cut on Masque’s leg.

The stranger buckled, a series of strange gestures and thick words. Given her sheer musculature, he was grateful there were two of them — she was not the kind of wolf he was keen on fighting alone.

He’d let go of her already, but Masque held on a moment longer. His ears folded and he stepped back as she growled and postured, moving only when she released the woman. Riley silently took up the vacant post to Masque’s left, muscles tensed as he waited for the stranger’s reaction to Masque’s edict.