The safe house was eerily quiet, the only sounds the ragged breaths of the group and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath their weight. The small cabin was sparse but functional, its walls reinforced with thick logs and its windows covered by heavy curtains. The air was heavy with the mingled scents of blood, sweat, and the faint tang of antiseptic as Alessa quickly set up a makeshift medical station.
Dominic sat beside Lila’s mattress, his gaze fixed on her pale face. Her breathing was shallow, each rise and fall of her chest a painful reminder of how close they’d come to losing her. His hand brushed over her hair, his touch gentle despite the tension coiled within him. He hadn’t let her out of his sight since they’d arrived, his wolf growling low in his chest at the mere thou
