Aaron's POV.
I didn’t slow down when I got there.
I didn’t pause to think, or plan, or second-guess what I already knew was waiting for me. I parked hard, left the engine running, stepped out with my body ready for impact. For shouting. For blood. For chaos.
My hand went to my side without thinking. My breathing was measured. Every sense alert. Wolf close to the surface. Not loose. Not chained either. Ready.
This wasn’t new to me. I’d walked into worse with less reason.
Maeve was the reason.
I expected noise. Voices. Someone watching the entrance. A sign I’d been expected.
There was nothing.
That was wrong.
I took another step forward, slower now, eyes scanning, muscles tight. This wasn’t how traps worked. They wanted fear. They wanted reaction.
Then I saw them.
Three men.
Not
