#Chapter 120 – Instinct Rising

Lila The air smelled like pine needles and smoke. The ceremonial clearing at the edge of the royal forest pulsed with sound and shadow—soft drums in the distance, voices murmuring low, the occasional sharp crack of a torch being lit. Lanterns hung from curved iron hooks planted in the earth, casting wide golden rings that danced in the clearing. The full moon hung high above it all—massive and luminous, washing everything in silver. It made the gowns shimmer. It made some present shift fully into their wolves. It definitely felt and looked different with so many people, from when Asher had brought me here alone. For whatever reason, Damon decided the Equinox this year would be celebrated here, returning to tradition. I arrived alone. Not late. But not early enough to be noticed either. My cloak was deep midnight blue, unadorned, the hood pushed back to let the moonlight catch my hair. Others had come in ceremonial silks, polished metals, and tokens from their ho