Ari felt it before he saw him.
It wasn't instinct not the way wolves described it, sharp and territorial. It was quieter. Emotional. A tightening behind his ribs, like someone had reached into his chest and pulled on a thread that had never stopped being attached.
Riven was close.
The realization hit Ari so hard he had to stop walking.
The street outside his apartment was crowded in that late evening, many vendors packing up, voices overlapping, the city breathing but the world narrowed anyway. His fingers curled around the strap of his bag. His pulse jumped, erratic, betraying him.
Eli noticed immediately.
"Hey," he said softly, hand hovering near Ari's elbow without touching. "What's wrong?"
Ari swallowed. His throat burned. "He's here."
Eli's expression shifted not surpris
