Chapter 51: A Howl in the Night.

Night seemed to hold its breath, and in the thick forest that enveloped their camp, silence echoed. The shadowed woodland was unnaturally hushed; it was as though even the denizens dwelling within it could sense the electric tension that was now crackling through the air. Chloe shifted restlessly beside the low-burning fire, but, in such a place as this, one could never lose the sensation that eyes were watching from out of the darkness, beyond that feeble ring of firelight. Her nerves were taut—strung on bowstrings—and all senses were of high alertness, though the surroundings seemed calm. Liam was a resolute wall of stoicism and coiled readiness at her side. Over the years, Chloe had learned to read the subtlest cues of his body language—the almost imperceptible nuances that betrayed his hyper-vigilant awareness of any potential threats. The taut line of his jaw now, the way his intense emerald regard continuously swept their perimeter, were clear signs he knew it too—that unshak