CONNOR'S POV
I paced the private airstrip like my boots had a personal grudge against the gravel. Every turn kicked up little clouds of dust that stuck to the cuffs of my jeans. The morning air was sharp enough to sting, but it did nothing for the noise in my head. My wolf kept circling the same thought, restless and loud: *You left her. You absolute asshole. She’s alone back there.*
I stopped, dragged both hands down my face, and stared in the direction Mason and Hudson had driven off. Forty minutes. They were good at this kind of thing. Clean, fast, no hesitation. That was exactly what worried me. If Tyler or any of his pack showed up, my brothers wouldn’t pause for negotiations. They’d turn it into a body count before anyone could blink. And Claire would see that side of us. I didn’t
