Dangerous Instincts
The silence on the walk back to the packhouse was nearly unbearable, each step heavy with unspoken tension.
Daniel kept close to Katelyn, his body taut, his wolf's presence still dangerously near the surface.
Every rustle in the forest sharpened his senses—snapping branches, swirling winds, distant calls of wild animals—reacting instinctively, bracing for the white wolf to emerge from shadow at any moment.
Beside him, Katelyn moved in quiet solidarity, but her mind replayed the first crack in the clearing.
The words echoed relentlessly inside her, and Daniel’s subsequent silence made everything feel worse—acknowledging, yet not denying.
Gabriel trailed several feet behind, his gaze lingering with constant, probing worry, watching and measuring every movement.
