“The forest doesn’t forgive. Neither do wolves.”
The moon was thin tonight, a blade of silver in a bruised sky.
I couldn’t sleep. Kade had left hours ago to patrol the eastern border, tension coiled in his shoulders as he kissed my temple and disappeared into the night. I told him I’d be fine. I told him I’d lock the door.
I didn’t.
Because I couldn’t stand feeling trapped.
And because a part of me didn’t think anyone would dare touch the Alpha’s mate.
I was wrong.
The window creaked sometime after midnight.
At first I thought it was the wind. Then I smelled him—sweat, blood, and cheap whiskey. A pack wolf. Not one of Kade’s inner circle. A lower-ranked enforcer. Drunk on something stronger than liquor.
I sat up in bed, pulling the blanket tighter around me. “Who’s there?”
No ans
