Chapter 102 A Friend in Need

The morning was cool and still, with a faint mist hanging over Ashwood, a town still recovering from the brutal war. The fresh scent of pine trees mixed with the damp earth, but I felt none of the usual comfort the woods brought me. I was restless, my thoughts tangled with the aftermath of everything that had happened. The victory was ours, but the cost had been high, and the scars ran deep. I had just finished my morning run, trying to clear my mind, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a message from one of the pack members, but my heart nearly stopped when I saw the name on the screen. It was Maya. “Maya?” I answered, a hint of surprise in my voice. I hadn’t spoken to her in days—no, weeks—too consumed by the chaos of the war and the secrets I was now forced to share with my siblings. But the voice that came through the phone wasn’t Maya’s. It was a frantic, panicked voice that I barely recognized. “Jessica! It’s Amy—Maya’s sister! You need to come to t