BENEATH THE SURFACE
No one spoke on the walk back from the border.
The forest felt different.
Not darker — just aware. As if the trees themselves had witnessed what happened in the clearing and were holding their breath.
Elara stayed close to Kael, though neither of them reached for the other. The space between their hands felt charged, like static waiting for contact.
The mark hadn’t flared again.
But she felt it.
Like a second heartbeat beneath his skin.
The pack followed in tense silence. No one questioned him. No one challenged him. But the air was thick with unspoken things.
They had all seen it.
They had seen their Alpha’s eyes turn silver.
They had seen him hear something no one else could.
And they had seen the mark.
Inside the keep, Kael dismissed everyone with a sing
