The air changed before he stepped through the gates.
I felt it as a subtle ripple beneath my skin, the same way I felt Jax crossing the border or Derek entering a room behind me. It was not the bond. It was not Ria.
It was recognition.
I was standing on the upper terrace when the guards’ posture shifted below. No alarm. No weapons drawn. Just alertness.
I did not need to look to know who it was.
Cole.
The last time he stood in Montenegro, there had been challenge in his eyes and pride in his stance. He had tested Jax openly. He had measured Derek in silence. He had looked at me as if trying to decide whether I was a myth or a mistake.
Today, when I descended the stone steps to meet him, he did not look like an enemy.
He looked thoughtful.
Jax was already in the courtyard when I ar
