Mira did not sleep. The moon's red light had faded before midnight, but its afterimage remained behind her eyelids whenever she closed them. She lay still on her bed and listened to the forest beyond the walls of the Alpha house. Wolves moved on patrol in measured intervals. Leaves moves and the wind carried no storm, yet the air felt unsettled.
Something was wrong.
It was not fear. Fear had a sharp edge and a clear source. This emotion felt deeper, like pressure building under the skin.
The bond stirred.
It did not burn. It did not pull her toward Ryker with heat or longing. It tightened and released in uneven pulses, as if reacting to something distant.
Mira sat up slowly.
She pressed her palm against her chest and focused on the rhythm. She had grown used to the bond’s quiet prese
