Third-person POV
The blacked-out SUVs roared through the forest roads like a silent storm. Inside the second vehicle, Raymond sat with Jasmine tucked close beside him. Harmony and Anne sat across from them, quietly buzzing with curiosity and a bit of mischief.
Alex, the wolf inside Raymond, stirred.
“Do you feel it?” he whispered in Raymond’s mind. “That power... like blood returning to numb limbs. Like chains snapping. This—this is who we are meant to be.”
Raymond’s fingers flexed slightly against his thigh. The ache in his chest, one that had lived there since he was old enough to be called “heir,” was dissolving, breath by breath.
Jasmine noticed his tension and gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. “How do you feel?” she asked softly.
He turned toward her, and the
