The air in the alcove was suffocating, thick with the scent of ozone from the recent explosions and the primal, overwhelming musk of a cornered Alpha. Outside, the sounds of the Great Hall’s restoration—clashing steel, barking orders, and the groans of the wounded—felt a world away. Here, in the shadows of the obsidian pillars, there was only the sound of two hearts beating in a jagged, dissonant rhythm.
Hunter stood like a wall of solid granite, his shadow stretching over Willow, pinning her against the cold stone. His eyes weren't just gold; they were molten, swirling with a mixture of agony, disbelief, and a burgeoning, dangerous hope.
A few yards away, Leo stood frozen. The boy’s small chest heaved, his golden eyes wide as he looked from the towering man in the black suit to the wom
