GINA’S POV
The knock at the door startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone—certainly not him.
When I pulled open the front door, the afternoon light spilled in, framing Ares Cole like some ghost from a past I’d tried to bury. He stood there, tall and unreadable, a worn duffel bag slung over one shoulder, his dark eyes scanning me with that same quiet intensity that always made my pulse stutter.
For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.
His lips quirked into that small, knowing smile—the one that said he was aware of exactly how much his presence unsettled me.
"Heard you were back in the pack," he said, his voice low and smooth, like gravel underfoot. His gaze flickered past me, into the dim hallway behind, as if he expected Klaus to materialize from the shadows. "Thought I’d swing by. Se
