The night was thick and still, the kind of darkness that swallowed sound and shape alike.
Selena moved carefully, one step after another, her heart hammering in her chest. Every instinct urged her to run, to stay low, to keep hidden. For the first time in days, her wolf stirred faintly beneath the surface, whispering guidance she could barely feel.
The healer had acted quickly once the door was opened.
In the brief moment before Selena slipped out, the woman had pressed a small bundle into her hands while the guards' attention drifted elsewhere.
"Use it," she had whispered, her eyes wide with fear as they darted down the corridor. "It will help you… but be careful."
Now Selena clutched the bundle tightly to her chest as she moved through the darkness, feeling the warmth of the herbs through the cloth. A faint scent rose from it, earthy and sharp, something that reminded her strangely of safety.
