Chapter 129

VALERIA’S POV The forest was alive with the crisp scent of morning dew and the distant chatter of birds. The sky, once blanketed in the deep hues of dawn, was now painted with the first rays of golden light. The morning breeze carried the faintest hint of tension from the pack house, where preparations for the royals’ arrival were undoubtedly in full swing. But I wasn’t there. I was here—running, breathing, feeling the earth beneath my paws. My wolf revelled in the rare freedom, the rhythmic pounding of my feet against the ground a stark contrast to the constraints I had been forced into lately. No politics, no masks, no Dimitri looming over my every move. Just me and the wild. The weight in my chest felt lighter, my muscles flexing with each bound forward as I weaved between the towering trees. I could have gone on for hours, but then— A shift. A presence. Someone was following me. My ears perked, my wolf immediately sharpening her focus. The steps were too controlled to be an acciden