The forest was darker than before.
No moon. No stars. Just the distant hum of crickets and the whisper of wind crawling through dead leaves.
Gonzalo walked through the shadowed trail with his hands shoved deep into his cloak, his mind a storm of thoughts. The echo of his pact with Dante still clung to him like smoke. The power in his veins pulsed faintly, alive, strong, demanding.
But even as it burned through him, a cold unease gnawed at his chest.
Something about the rogue alpha's smile had lingered too long in his thoughts.
He reached the edge of the forest clearing when a voice came from behind him, smooth and dark.
"Leaving so soon?"
Gonzalo froze, turning slowly.
Dante stepped from the shadows, his golden eyes gleaming faintly.
"I thought we were done," Gonzalo said flatly.
"We were," Dante replied, his tone almost casual. "But I've been thinking."
"That doesn't sound good."
