The air did not settle after the howl.
It sharpened.
Even after the sound faded into the distance, something remained behind. A tension that coiled through the den and into my bones. The others felt it too. I could see it in the way Aurelius stood near the doorway, already calculating. In the way Cassian stayed close to me, grounded and watchful.
And in the way Thorne did not move at all.
His hand was still on my collar.
Not tight. Not forcing.
Just there.
A reminder.
A claim.
His eyes had not left mine since I spoke.
I am still yours.
I did not know why I had said it.
I did not know why I had meant it.
But I had seen the shift it caused. The way all three of them had paused. The way the balance in the room had tilted, just slightly, in a way I did not understand but could fee
