Zane straightened. “How close?”
“Too close,” Cael admitted. “The guards say movement in the woods. Could be a scout, maybe a stray.”
Zane didn’t answer. He was already walking toward the door.
“Alpha, should we intercept?” Cael asked.
Zane paused at the threshold. His instincts screamed to say yes, to lock down the territory, to hunt, to control. But something deeper inside him whispered no. Wait.
He turned his head slightly. “Hold the line. Watch, but don’t engage. Not yet.”
Cael frowned but nodded. “Understood.”
Zane stepped outside into the chill. The wind bit at his skin, sharp and cold, carrying the faintest traces of pine and something that made his heart ache. He couldn’t breathe.
It was her scent. Real this time. Not memory. Not a dream.
He clenched his fists, forcing hims
