|| ATHENA's POV ||

As we stood in the darkened woods, the tension in the air was palpable, thick with the scent of danger and the sound of snapping twigs beneath our feet. I could feel the eyes of the wild wolves watching us from the shadows, their predatory instincts honed to a razor's edge as they prepared to strike.

"Stay close to me, Viktor," I murmured, my voice low and urgent as I cast a protective glance in his direction. "We don't want to provoke them."

But even as I spoke, the wolves emerged from the darkness with feral snarls and bared teeth, their eyes blazing with hunger as...