The wolf’s glowing eyes narrowed, its growl deepening as its muscles tensed, ready to pounce. My heart thudded so loudly in my chest, I was sure Zev—or *Ryan*, whatever name he insisted on—could hear it. The tension in the air was thick, and my instincts screamed at me to run, but Zev's calm voice kept me rooted in place.
"Trust me, Thalia," he whispered, his hand tightening around mine.
It took everything in me not to rip my hand away and flee. The massive creature, just feet away, was a force of nature, and yet Zev seemed completely unfazed. His black eyes shimmered with an eerie confidence, and I couldn't understand how he wasn’t trembling like I was. But there was something more than just fear coursing through me now—there was doubt. What was Zev hiding? How did he seem to know this
