Ryker's POV
If someone stayed cooped up in a mountain cabin long enough, eventually someone lost their mind.
Today that someone was me.
"I'm bored," I announced.
Soren didn't look up from his book. "You said that twenty minutes ago."
"Because I'm still bored."
Kael sat at the table cleaning one of the hunting knives with slow, methodical strokes. "Then go do something."
"I'm trying to."
"No," Soren said, turning a page. "You're trying to drag everyone else with you."
"That's the whole point."
Ayla was curled near the fireplace beneath one of the thick blankets, a mug between her hands, watching the fire. She looked calmer today—not fully relaxed, but the tight, guarded quality she'd arrived with had eased by degrees.
Duke stretched. "Her scent has changed."
He was right. Since
