The hall did not breathe.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Selene stepped forward first.
“Kael.”
A warning.
Sharp.
Controlled.
But Kael barely acknowledged her.
His silver eyes remained fixed on Adrian.
“The connection is incomplete,” he murmured.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“You keep talking like you know something.”
Kael ignored the irritation in his tone.
Instead, he stepped even closer.
Close enough now that the energy in the room shifted violently.
Several wolves lowered their heads instinctively.
Not submission.
Instinct.
Power responding to power.
And Adrian felt it.
The awakened blood inside him reacting sharply now.
His hearing sharpened.
Heartbeat slowing.
Muscles tightening instinctively beneath his skin.
Kael noticed immediately.
“…There,” he said quietly
