Kael's POV
The packhouse felt different when we walked back in.
Not empty exactly—but missing something essential, the way a room feels after a fire has burned down to nothing. The music and laughter and constant movement of the night before had left a particular absence behind them, and the silence that replaced all of it pressed against my ears and amplified every footstep, every creak of the old floorboards underfoot.
Even the light was different this morning. Softer. Almost apologetic as it filtered through the windows. Shadows lingered in the corners, making the whole place feel paused—waiting.
Fenrir prowled beneath the surface of my skin, restless and agitated, his anxiety coiling with mine until I couldn't easily tell them apart. His claws dragged across my nerves—a reminder th
