The music faltered. Conversations snapped off.
Every eye in the bar turned toward the front, where the stranger had returned with his little army of backup. Six of them, swaggering, shoulders squared, breath thick with alcohol and aggression. They smelled human… mostly. A faint trace of wolf clung to one or two, but not strong enough to matter.
“You think you can embarrass me?” the stranger barked, voice cracking high with false courage. He jabbed a finger in my direction, spit flying. “She’s mine tonight. Step aside.”
The air thickened, electric. My wolf prowled inside me, tail flicking lazily. “Watch, Evelynn,” she whispered. “Now you’ll see what they are.”
Calder stepped forward first. His hand released my wrist only to curl into a fist at his side. The shift in him was terrifying -
