The wolf did not stir even when Adrian’s boots cracked twigs nearby. Its ears twitched, but the rest of its body remained unnervingly fixed. He kept walking, convincing himself not to interfere. Yet a prickling unease lingered, sharp enough to follow him all the way home.
Later the same day, duty drew him back along the same path. He had been called to a farmhouse that bordered the forest. It was an injured dog with a leg mangled in barbed wire. The route through the woods was the fastest, and he carried his kit slung over one shoulder.