( Kael’s POV )
The Hollow had never been quiet, not truly. Even in sleep, it murmured. Wind slithered through the high pines, the river below whispered against the black stones, and somewhere in the dark, something always moved.
Tonight, though, the forest held its breath.
Kael stood at the threshold of the longhouse, every muscle coiled beneath his shirt. The boy in his arms shifted against his chest, small, warm, and wholly human. His son. Storm. Four months old, and already capable of silencing a room without a sound. His fingers curled in Kael’s collar, trusting without knowing, and that trust felt heavier than the world outside.
“Kael.”
Jarek’s voice came from behind, low and rough. The Beta stepped out of the shadows, rain still dripping from his coat, eyes sharp as ever. “The
