Kael's POV
I couldn't sleep.
The bond hummed steadily from somewhere down the hall. Ayla was now settled and finally resting in Soren's room.
I'd laid out the terms in the forest. Every step she took was her choice, at her pace. I'd meant every word.
She'd chosen Soren.
Fenrir paced slow circles and said nothing, which was somehow worse than commentary. I lay in the dark staring at the ceiling, telling myself it didn't matter which of us she'd chosen. What mattered was that she'd come back. That she'd stayed.
It wasn't working.
I got up before I could spend another minute lying there turning it over.
Outside, the cold hit immediately. I shifted at the tree line and let Fenrir take the transition without directing him. He pushed hard into the dark forest, snow exploding under our pa
