Kaelira’s POV
I felt him before I saw him. That same pull.
Low, sharp and uninvited.
It slid under my skin like something alive..something aware.
My steps slowed slightly as I moved through the outer grounds, the night air cool against my face. Patrol should have been routine.
It wasn’t. My wolf stirred first.
Not restless.
Not afraid.
Alert.
I stopped. Listened.
Nothing.
No movement. No sound. But the feeling didn’t fade.
It sharpened. Behind me. I turned.
Slowly. And there he was.
Standing just beyond the edge of the torchlight, half-shadow, half-silence.
Watching.
Always watching.
My spine straightened instinctively, chin lifting just slightly.
“You have a habit of appearing uninvited.”
His expression didn’t change.
Cold, still and controlled.
“And you have a habit
