Everyone left the cave without another word.
Even Riven, who lingered for just a second too long, jaw tight with questions he didn’t dare ask. He looked back once—at me, at Humphrey, at the bloodstains on the floor—and then turned and disappeared into the shadows.
But not Thalira.
I caught her wrist before she could follow. “Stay.”
She blinked. “Alpha?”
“Fetch clothes,” I said, breath still shallow. “And prepare a healing pool.”
She nodded instantly. She didn’t ask questions. That’s what I liked about her. Loyal. Sharp. Fast. She was gone with a whisper of fabric, boots moving quick and light over stone.
And just like that, we were alone again.
Humphrey was still lying there, half-shifted, breath shallow but steady, eyes locked on mine like I was the only thing anchoring him to thi
