Samantha's POV
The air around me thickened, heavy as wet cement.
For a moment, I couldn't even breathe.
My wolf sharpened my senses despite my weakness—I could hear heartbeats everywhere. Fast ones. Excited ones. Cruel ones. The steady thrum of power that belonged to an Alpha.
Andrew.
I felt him before I saw him.
His boots crushed against the gravel of the border yard, slow, deliberate steps. The scent of pine and iron drifted toward me, unmistakable. He was coming closer.
I tried to call his name.
Nothing came out.
My throat burned raw from screaming earlier. My body trembled violently from the cold water they had poured over me. My dress—what remained of it—clung to my skin, nearly transparent, torn at the shoulder. Mud streaked my legs. My hair hung over my face, heavy and drip
